27 airports temporarily shut in India as tensions with Pakistan rise
The action has disrupted air travel across the region, with hundreds of flights cancelled and major airspace corridors shut down
As a security move following India's 'Operation Sindoor', 27 airports across India have been closed for commercial flights until Saturday morning. The announcement came soon after India struck nine terror camps in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday.
The action has disrupted air travel across the region, with hundreds of flights cancelled and major airspace corridors shut down.
The closures began shortly after the strikes, which occurred at approximately 1.30am yesterday (7 May). The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued two NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen) — the first in the early morning affecting 18 airports, followed by a second at 3.20 pm extending the shutdown to nine additional airports.
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Here's the full list of affected airports:
1. Dharamshala, 2. Hindon, 3. Gwalior, 4. Kishangarh, 5. Srinagar, 6. Amritsar, 7. Patiala, 8. Shimla, 9. Gaggal, 10. Jaisalmer, 11. Jodhpur, 12. Bikaner, 13. Halwara, 14. Pathankot, 15. Jammu, 16. Leh, 17. Ludhiana, 18. Bhuntar, 19. Bhatinda, 20. Mundra, 21. Jamnagar, 22. Rajkot, 23. Porbandar, 24. Kandla, 25. Keshod, 26. Bhuj, 27. Chandigarh.
Operation Sindoor
India yesterday (7 May) carried out precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack two weeks ago, marking the first attacks on the neighbouring country's most populous province, Punjab, since the 1971 war that ratcheted up bilateral tensions.
The 26-minute operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, was announced by the Ministry of Defence at 1.44 am The strikes - carried out using a combination of missiles and precision-guided munitions launched by both aircraft and ground forces - targeted the bases of UN-designated terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), located across the international border and along the Line of Control (LoC).
Describing the operation as "measured, non-escalatory, proportionate, and responsible," Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were a direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. He added that the action was intended to pre-empt and deter further cross-border terrorism.
