Air traffic hit as 27 airports shut, over 400 flights cancelled

Amid rising India-Pakistan tensions, 27 airports in north, west, and central India were shut, leading to 430 flight cancellations. Pakistan also saw 147 cancellations as airspace over the region was cleared of civilian traffic.

New Delhi: In the wake of escalating regional tensions, 27 airports across northern, western, and central India have been temporarily shut for commercial operations, causing major disruptions to air travel. The closures, in effect until 5:29 am on Saturday (May 10), have led to the cancellation of 430 flights by Indian carriers on Thursday alone, amounting to about 3% of the country’s total scheduled flights.

Pakistan also experienced significant air travel disruption, cancelling 147 flights, which accounts for 17% of its total scheduled operations. The airspace over Pakistan and parts of western India, stretching from Kashmir to Gujarat, was devoid of civilian flights, as per Flightradar24 data. Several international airlines rerouted flights to avoid the region, opting for alternative paths over Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

The affected airports include major and regional hubs such as Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Halwara, Pathankot, Bhuntar, Shimla, Gaggal, Dharamsala, Kishangarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Mundra, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Kandla, Keshod, Bhuj, Gwalior, and Hindon. These closures also extend to airfields typically used for military charter operations.

Flight disruptions began midweek, with around 250 flights cancelled on Wednesday. Air India reported that two of its international flights bound for Amritsar had to be diverted to Delhi, while American Airlines cancelled its Delhi–New York service the same day.

As tensions persist, airline operations in the region remain fluid, and further changes to flight schedules are expected in the coming days.