Flight operations resume at Amritsar and Chandigarh airports
Authorities Monday reopened the international airports in Amritsar and Chandigarh for full flight operations following a week-long closure after a temporary suspension due to Operation Sindoor and heightened security concerns along the international border with Pakistan.
Flight services to and from Amritsar's Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport and Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Chandigarh resumed.
In an official statement, a Chandigarh airport official said, 'Flight services to and from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, have resumed as of 10.30 am on May 12, 2025. Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for updated schedules.'
The spokesman for the Amritsar Airport said, 'Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar also reopened to all commercial, civil, domestic, and international flights starting 10.18 am on May 12, 2025.'
However, the spokesman said, so far, no flight is scheduled to take off or land, and it may take some time for the airport to start working at its full capacity.
Both airports had been closed to civilian air traffic since May 7, as part of a precautionary lockdown across 32 airports in northern and western India. This suspension followed a series of drone incursions and retaliatory air strikes during India's Operation Sindoor.
As many as 407 flights were operated from the Amritsar airport from April 29 to May 5, 2025, with 67,989 passengers travelling.
In the days leading up to the closures, Pakistani kamikaze drones were spotted and intercepted over Amritsar, especially around Khasa Cantonment, Chheharta, and Airport Road.
On May 10, the Indian Army reported intercepting Byker YIHA III drones targeting civilian areas. As many as 15 to 20 drones were spotted in Amritsar, while drone threats were recorded in 26 other locations across India, including Jammu, Srinagar, Pathankot, and Bhuj in Gujarat.
Debris from neutralised drones and missiles was later recovered from villages like Makhan Windi, Jethuwal, and Pandher, though no major civilian casualties were reported. Residents faced blackouts, sirens, and temporary displacements, triggering widespread panic.
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