24 Airports Closed, 400 Flights Cancelled As India-Pakistan Tensions Rise

Following Operation Sindoor, several airports across India and Pakistan remain closed. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security had instructed all the passengers to reach airports three hours before their departure to ensure smooth check-in and boarding. The authorities in their recently released advisory have stated that there will be a newly introduced secondary ladder point check, which is the process of checking luggage just before boarding. Check-in will close 75 minutes before flight departure.

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Cancelling over 430 flights, 24 airports remain closed across northern, western, and central India. Here are the list of 24 civilian airports which have been closed:

Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhuntar, Kishangarh, Patiala, Shimla, Kangra – Gaggal, Bhatinda, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Halwara, Pathankot, Jammu, Leh, Mundra, Jamnagar, Hirasa, Porbandar, Keshod, Kandla, and Bhuj.

Flights from a handful of South Indian airports were also affected. Five departures and arrivals from Chennai airport are cancelled. The departures were scheduled to Mumbai, Hindon, Chandigarh, and Shimoga. From Amritsar, 29 services including to Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Srinagar have been cancelled.

Certain flights in Delhi airport were also affected due to change in airspace conditions and security.
Meanwhile, as the tension heightens, Pakistan too has closed several major airports. While specific airport names have not been officially disclosed, as per the reports, airports in key cities such as Karachi, Lahore, and Sialkot are affected.

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The Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS) has also issued enhanced security protocols on Thursday, restricting visitor access to airport terminal buildings and implementing secondary ladder checks for all flights. The new prohibition also restricts visitors from entering airport terminal buildings and has suspended the sale of visitor entry tickets. Additionally, the authorities had made sure that the CCTV systems are fully operational and are deploying in-flight security personnel based on priority and random selection.