Centre reopens all 32 airports that were shut after hostilities with Pakistan escalated

The airspace curbs were put in place after Indian forces hit nine terror sites in Pakistan on May 7 under 'Operation Sindoor', which was followed by a four-day military confrontation between the two countries. These airports were expected to remain closed till 5.20 am on May 15.

However, on May 10, both India and Pakistan came to a mutual understanding of ceasing fire across land, water and sea, which was briefly violated by Pakistan, prompting a strong statement from India. The airports across India that were shut during the military conflict with Pakistan are now being reopen after both the countries reached a ceasefire agreement.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has also reopened the 25 segments of Air Traffic Service (ATS) routes within the Delhi and Mumbai Flight Information Regions (FIRs) due to operational reasons.

India's largest carrier IndiGo on May 12 said that "In line with the latest government directives, the airports are open for operations", adding that it will "progressively commence operations on the previously closed routes."

The airports that were temporarily shut down included the Awantipur Air Force Station in Jammu & Kashmir, Ambala Domestic Airport in Haryana, Adampur Air Force Station in Punjab, Naliya Air Force Station in Gujarat, Sarsawa Airport in Uttar Pradesh, Thoise Air Force Station in Ladakh and Uttarlai Air Force Station in Rajasthan, according to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued late night on Friday (May 9).

Eight new airports were soon added to the list of shut runways, including those in Kishangarh, Bhuntar, Ludhiana, Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda, Halwara, Pathankot, Shimla, Gaggal, Dharamsala, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Mundra, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Kandla, Keshod, Bhuj, Gwalior and Hindon. Airports primarily used for military charters have also been included in the shutdown.

Following the announcement of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan on Saturday, Islamabad also withdrew the closure of Pakistani airspace to civil aircraft operations, as per a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on May 10 evening.

Earlier on May 10, following a major escalation in tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi, Pakistan had issued NOTAMs announcing the closure of its airspace at least till 1230 pm IST on May 11. The new NOTAM issued in the evening cancelled the earlier notices issued on May 10.

Notably though, the ban on Indian airlines and Indian aircraft from the Pakistani airspace, which was imposed from the evening of April 24, remains in place as the status of that NOTAM showed as 'Valid' on the PCAA’s database. India’s ban on Pakistani airlines and aircraft in its airspace also remains in place.

According to estimates by airlines, around 450 domestic flights were cancelled as a precautionary measure on May 8, with the government shutting down more than 20 airports across north-west India, including Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar, and Shimla.

Travel and tourism stocks took a beating in trade on May 9, as rising geopolitical tensions had dampened tourism-related activities.

Amid escalating tensions with Pakistan, the central government, including the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) also increased flight monitoring operations in different parts of India after security forces detected Pakistani drones near the heavily-guarded Jammu airport late evening on May 8.

The Centre also ordered that security across all Indian airports and flights be raised to the highest level with immediate effect.

As part of the heightened safety measures, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has ordered that all passengers at all airports across India will need to undergo secondary ladder point security check (LPSC) or pre-boarding check, senior government officials in the MoCA said.

Government officials also added that air marshals will be deployed across airports in India, based on the passenger traffic inflow. Government officials also said that visitor entry to terminal buildings has been banned.