Flights Resume Over Border Areas As 32 Airports Reopen Days After Ceasefire
New Delhi:
Flight operations across 32 airports in North and West India are expected to return to normal, as cross-border military action between India and Pakistan came to a halt over the past few days.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu is slated to visit Srinagar and Jammu airports, among the first to be shut after Operation Sindoor was conducted to strike nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir on May 7.
Low-cost carrier IndiGo said that it is resuming flight operations on all routes from Thursday. "Starting 15 May 2025, we are resuming our flight operations across routes that were temporarily suspended in view of recent developments in the northern region of the country. Some of these flights have already operated today, and more are progressively being restored," the airline said in a statement.
Air India had earlier said that it will progressively resume flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot. By Tuesday, the airline cancelled flights to all destinations but Srinagar.
Flight-tracking portal FlightRadar 24, as of 12.30 pm, showed a handful of flights over Jammu, Amritsar and parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Some flights were also seen on the route between Delhi and Srinagar.
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir told IANS that 11 flights had operate on Wednesday from Srinagar International Airport, primarily to facilitate the Hajj pilgrims' onwards journey to Medina. Authorities said that of these, four SpiceJet (SG) flights, three IndiGo (6E) flights and three IndiGo (IX) flights operated from Delhi to Srinagar and back while one IndiGo (IX) flight operated from Srinagar to Jammu and back.
Following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 22 civilians were killed, India launched Operation Sindoor to strike terror targets in the neighbouring country. Cross-border firing followed in which loss to life and infrastructure was reported. Additionally, civilian flight operations were halted at 32 airports on May 9 - Srinagar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jaisalmer, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Adhampur, Ambala, Awantipur, Bathinda, Bhuj, Bikaner, Halwara, Hindon, Jammu, Kandla, Kangra (Gaggal), Keshod, Kishangarh, Kullu Manali (Bhuntar), Leh, Ludhiana, Mundra, Naliya, Pathankot, Patiala, Porbandar, Rajkot (Hirasar), Sarsawa, Shimla, Thoise and Uttarlai.
After a ceasefire was reached between India and Pakistan and a calm along the border areas followed, the Airports Authority of India on Monday announced the resumption of services at the 32 airports.
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