Centre extends closure of 24 airports across north India till May 15 as border tensions escalate

Government officials also added that air marshals will be deployed across airports in India, based on the passenger traffic inflow.

The Union government has extended the closure of 24 airports across the country till 5:20 am on May 15, as tensions escalate between New Delhi and Islamabad following Operation Sindoor and a foiled drone attack by Pakistan's military.

Airports will be closed till May 15 in cities such as Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhuntar, Kishangarh, Patiala, Shimla, Jaisalmer, Pathankot, Jammu, Bikaner, Leh, Porbander and others, a ‘Notice to Airmen’ (NOTAM) issued on Friday (May 9) night said.

The list of airports that are closed include the ones in 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.

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.

Air travel has been disrupted after airports across northern, western, and central India saw shut down of commercial flights until 0529 IST on Saturday, May 10.

In Gujarat, four airports close to the Indo-Pakistan border - Bhuj, Kandla, Jamnagar, and Rajkot - have been temporarily shut down for civilian aircraft operations.

Air India announced that it has cancelled all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Chandigarh, and Rajkot until May 10, while IndiGo cancelled over 165 flights from multiple airports.

Travel and tourism stocks took a beating in trade on May 9, as rising geopolitical tensions dampened the demand for tourism.

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.