MC EXCLUSIVE Pahalgam attack hits tourism as 15,000 travellers seek to reschedule, cancel flight to Srinagar

Domestic airlines in India have received requests to reschedule or cancel around 15,000 flight tickets to Srinagar since terrorists struck at a prime tourist spot in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on April 22, 2025, killing at least 26 people, mostly tourists, and injuring several others, data shared with Moneycontrol by online travel portals and domestic airlines showed.

Senior executives from domestic airlines told Moneycontrol that around 60,000 to 70,000 passengers fly to Srinagar every week from across India and in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, tourism to Kashmir is likely to take a hit, at least for the next fortnight.

“Most of the requests we (IndiGo) have received are for rescheduling of flights to a later date, which shows the resilience of domestic travellers. We are committed to assisting our customers and while our priority at the moment is to help customers facing disruptions in Kashmir, we will cater to all our customers in a timely manner,” a senior executive from the country’s largest airline, IndiGo, told Moneycontrol.

Data shared by executives from domestic airlines showed that IndiGo has received requests to reschedule or cancel around 7,500 flight tickets since the terrorist attack in Kashmir, while airlines under the Air India group have received requests to rearrange around 5,000 tickets and SpiceJet has received requests for around 2,500 tickets.

Emails sent to all three domestic carriers remained unanswered till the time of publishing.

Moneycontrol also reached out to leading online travel aggregators who are monitoring the situation.

According to Cleartrip's early observations, flight cancellations have jumped by 7 times. They arealso witnessing a drop in future bookings by around 40 percent, said Manjari Singhal, Chief Growth and Business Officer, Cleartrip. "In times of uncertainty like this, we’re here for our customers, whether it’s rescheduling plans, offering waivers, or helping them navigate what’s next," she added.

Travel agents and tour operators have also started receiving requests for cancellation of travel plans and hotel bookings in J&K. The recent incident in Pahalgam has caused concern among travellers, leading to a noticeable rise in hotel booking cancellations, said Sandeep Arora, Director of Brightsun Travel, India.

“Many tourists are rethinking their plans due to safety issues, which is especially impactful as the summer season is typically a peak time for Kashmir tourism,” he added.

Arora said that they are advising their clients not to panic and if travel dates aren’t imminent, it’s best to wait and observe, as the situation is expected to improve soon.

“Local authorities are taking swift action to ensure the safety of visitors. Airlines have also issued advisories extending waivers for rescheduling and cancellations for travel to Srinagar and Jammu until April 30. Additionally, IndiGo and Air India are adding extra flights from Srinagar to Delhi and Mumbai to assist customers facing disruptions in their travel plans,” Arora added.

Airlines operating under the Air India group and IndiGo on April 22 announced that complimentary rescheduling or free cancellations will be offered to passengers who have booked their flight to Srinagar for bookings up to April 30, 2025.

“All our other flights to and from Srinagar will continue to operate as per schedule. Air India is also offering complimentary rescheduling and full refunds on cancellations to passengers with confirmed bookings till 30th April 2025 on these sectors,” Air India said in a statement.

"To support those traveling to/from Srinagar, IndiGo is offering waivers for cancellation fees or rescheduling charges. IndiGo has added special flights to Srinagar from Delhi and Mumbai with immediate effect and will be operating these over and above the regular schedule of 160 weekly flights from / to Srinagar from various parts of India," IndiGo said in a statement on April 23.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu also held an urgent meeting on April 22 with all airline operators and issued a strong advisory against surge pricing.

“Airlines have been directed to maintain regular fare levels, ensuring that no passenger is burdened during this sensitive time,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement on April 23.

Additionally, Naidu directed all airlines to extend full cooperation for the transportation of deceased individuals to their respective home states, working in sync with state governments and local authorities.

Similarly, Nishant Pitti, Chairman and Founder, EaseMyTrip, said that his company has extended free change and cancellation for all bookings made on or before April 22, applicable for travel up to April 30.

Twelve airports in India have direct flights to Srinagar’s Sheikh Ul Alam International Airport (SXR) including New Delhi, Jammu, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Leh and Dehradun, data from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) showed.

Roughly around 1,374 domestic flights arrive at Srinagar every month (or 322 flights each week, around 46 flights daily), AAI data showed.

IndiGo operates around 674 monthly flights to Srinagar, while Air India Express operates around 301 flights per month, SpiceJet around 210 flights per month, Air India around 115 monthly flights and Akasa Air around 37 monthly flights.

Approximately 4.4 million passengers travelled through Srinagar Airport in 2024, including domestic visitors and international travellers. On average, the airport witnessed 35 to 37 flights daily during the winter months and 45 to 50 flights during the summer. Around 12,000 passengers arrived or departed daily.

Data reveals that the airport handled a total of 28,348 flights—14,174 arrivals and 14,174 departures—from destinations across India.

On an average around 630 flights land in Srinagar from Delhi every month. Similarly, 185 flight from Jammu, 175 flight from Mumbai, 70 flights from Chandigarh, 60 flights from Amritsar, 59 from Hyderabad, 56 from Bengaluru, 54 from Kolkata, 46 from Ahmedabad, 26 from Lucknow and nine from Leh and two flights from Dehradun bring travellers to Srinagar every month, data from AAI shows.

While the terror attack in Pahalgam has shaken the country, many remain optimistic about the situation stabilising.

“With the upcoming Amarnath Yatra scheduled to begin on July 3, 2025, and end on August 9, 2025, there is optimism that the situation will stabilise in the coming months, allowing tourism to recover,” Arora said.

Govind Gaur, founder of WanderOn, a travel community offering tailored trips, completed a tour to Pahalgam just yesterday and has 80-100 tours planned in J&K in the next two months.