Flights disrupted, airlines issue travel advisories as India strikes Pakistan terror camps

A file photo of Delhi's IGI Airport. Flights have been cancelled and some airports have shut down operations following India's strike on Pakistan

Flights to several airports in the north stood cancelled on May 7 morning, with airlines warning of disruptions, hours after India struck terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Following Indian armed forces’ Operation Sindoor, domestic airlines cancelled flights from up north in Leh to Gujarat’s Bhuj, which is close to Pakistan border on the west, amid heightened security concerns.

Flight operations to Dharamshala, Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Bhuj, and Amritsar have been disrupted, with major carriers — Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, and Air India Express — issuing advisories and cancelling flights.

"Due to the ongoing situation, airports in parts of northern India, including Dharamshala (DHM), Leh (IXL), Jammu (IXJ), Srinagar (SXR), and Amritsar (ATQ), are closed until further notice. Departures, arrivals, and consequential flights may be impacted. Passengers are advised to plan their journey accordingly and check flight status," IndiGo said in a post on X.

Around 100 flights to these airports are bound to be affected till mid-day. IndiGo operates between 16-25 daily flights, Air India around 25, SpiceJet operates between 20-23 daily flights to the affected airports.

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Air India, too, announced the suspension of all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot until noon, citing the prevailing security situation.

In a post on social media platform X, the airline said two international flights bound for Amritsar were being diverted to Delhi.

The airline said airports including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar would remain closed until further notice, affecting departures, arrivals, and connecting flights.

Tata Sons low-cost carrier Air India Express informed passengers that flights to and from Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, and Hindon had been affected. Similarly, budget carrier SpiceJet informed passengers about disruptions in flights to Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar and Amritsar.

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.