At least 16 airports closed in north, west India after strike on Pakistan terror camps

Domestic airlines have started also issued warnings to passengers to looking to travel on between May 7-10.

The Indian government has closed at least 16 airports in northern and western parts of the country for civilian movement on May 7, hours after India struck terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The 16 airports include Leh, Thois, Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jamnagar, Bhatinda, Bhuj, Dharamshala, Shimla, Rajkot, and Porbandar.

Airlines warn passengers

Domestic airlines have also started issuing warnings to passengers looking to travel between May 7 and 10. India's largest carrier IndiGo in a statement said that due to government notification on airspace restrictions, over 165 IndiGo flights from multiple airports (Amritsar, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Gwalior, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Leh, Rajkot, and Srinagar) are cancelled until 0529 IST of May 10, 2025.

"Customers are encouraged to check their flight status on our website or mobile app before heading to the airport. Customers whose flights are affected can reschedule the booking on the next available flight or opt to cancel their bookings at no additional cost, and a full refund will be processed. These changes can be managed directly through our website www.goindigo.in," IndiGo said in a statement on May 7.

Vital installations on alert

Authorities also put vital installations such as refineries and hydropower projects near border areas on high alert, people aware of the matter said. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which manages the securities of these installations located near the border and Line of Control with Pakistan, has also been placed on high alert.

On May 6, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) regarding an air exercise by the Indian Air Force.

The NOTAM is applicable for May 7 and 8 in Rajasthan and other areas close to the border with Pakistan.

In the early hours of May 7, Indian armed forces launched a major counter-terrorism strike. An official communiqué said that forces launched “Operation Sindoor”, targeting nine sites where terrorist attacks against India were planned and directed.

“Our actions have been focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” the communiqué said.

“These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered.”

After the April 22 terror attack, the government gave the armed forces “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of the country’s response.

These strikes were carried out two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack and on the day when civil defence mock drills have been planned across the country.