Closure of 24 airports extended till May 15 amid border conflict

The notice issued by the Airports Authority of India said the airports would remain closed until 5.29am on May 15

The Union government has extended the temporary closure of 24 airports in northern and western parts of the country for civil aircraft operations by four days till May 15, according to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued on Friday, with the development coming amid major escalation in tension with Pakistan over the past few days.

24 airports, which are either located close to the Pakistan border or are situated near key defence bases, were earlier ordered to be closed for civilian flights till May 10(HT Photo/Ravi Kumar)

The notice issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the airports would remain closed until 5.29 am on May 15. Earlier, these 24 airports, which are either located close to Pakistan borders or are situated near key defence bases, were closed for civilian flights till May 10.

The affected airports, according to the NOTAM, are Srinagar and Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir; Leh in Ladakh; Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Halwara and Pathankot in Punjab; Bhuntar, Shimla and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh; Chandigarh in the UT; Mundra, Jamnagar, Hirasar, Porbandar, Keshod, Kandla and Bhuj in Gujarat; Kishengarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner in Rajasthan.

Earlier, these airports across different states and UTs were shut following Indian armed forces’ precision strikes at nine terrorist targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of Operation Sindoor in the early hours on May 7. The operation was in retaliation to the April 22 attack by Pakistan-linked terrorists in Pahalgam, killing 26 civilians.

“Following a notification from aviation authorities on continued closure of multiple airports in India, Air India flights to and from the following stations – Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bhuj, Jamnagar and Rajkot – are being cancelled till 0529 hrs IST on 15 May, pending further updates,” Air India said in a post on X.

Customers holding valid tickets for travel during this period would be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund for cancellations, the airline added.

Low-cost airline IndiGo, too, informed its passengers about the extension of airports’ closure, saying all flights to and from 10 destinations — Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kishangarh and Rajkot — are cancelled till 5.29 am on May 15 due to temporary airport closures. It added that bookings made on or before May 8 are eligible for change/cancellation fee waiver for travel until May 22, 2025, to and from the 10 aforementioned airports.

Airlines also asked passengers to report early for their flights in wake of heightened security measures, including 100% pre-boarding secondary checks for flyers. The step has been taken after the security wing of civil aviation ministry — Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) — on Thursday issued an advisory, mandating stricter security protocols at airports across the country amid escalating tensions with Pakistan.

The new security measures, effective until May 18, bar visitors from entering airport buildings and suspend the sale of visitor tickets. Additional passenger and baggage checks will be conducted at boarding gates for all flights, on top of the regular security screenings.

“In view of an order by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security on enhanced measures at airports, passengers across India are advised to arrive at their respective airports at least 3 hours prior to scheduled departure to ensure smooth check-in and boarding. Check-in closes 75 mins before departure,” Air India said on X.

Meanwhile, the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, the only major airport operational in northern India, in an announcement to passengers said that due to changing airspace dynamics and enhanced security protocols, some flight schedules and processing times at security checkpoints may be affected. “Passengers are advised to: Follow updates and instructions provided by their respective airlines; Comply with hand baggage and check-in luggage regulations; allow extra time for security checks due to heightened measures; cooperate with airline and security personnel for smooth facilitation,” it posted on X.