Operation Sindoor: Travellers make frantic calls, travel firms cautious due to flight disruptions

Travel disruptions during peak summer travel season.

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26 Aug, 2025 12:21

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With as many as 16 airports shut down across north and west India, including Dharamshala (DHM), Leh (IXL), Jammu (IXJ), Srinagar (SXR), and Amritsar (ATQ), and around 100 flights bound to be affected till mid-day, travel agents are getting frantic calls by travellers.  

The peak summer travel season is witnessing many disruptions due to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, making tourist and travel companies worried about how things will pan out.

After the Pahalgam attack, Kashmir and some other destinations in north India saw a drop in travel bookings.

There are some immediate cancellations from some customers, for trip to Srinagar and adjoining places, due to unavailability of flights, said Govind Gaur, founder of WanderOn, a travel platform.

"We expect to see more trip cancellations till this weekend, until the situation improves at the borders," he added.

Gaur expects the situation to improve in a month or two months time if there are no further strikes.

"People are calling to check about cancellations, refunds and rescheduling of flights. There is a bit of anxiety. However, real-time cancellations haven't started yet. People are not cancelling but are cautious. People are enquiring to check about flight status," said travel agent Sanjay Dang, managing director of Le Travelworld.

An official from Yatra said while they are not seeing disruptions at the moment, they are cautious about upcoming travel leisure demand, especially in north India. "We are worried about the overall consumer sentiment caused by this because people tend to spend less in such times as they think that geopolitical situations can get worse," the official added.

An executive of a top online travel company on condition of anonymity said that they expect people to continue with their plans unless things escalate to a very high level. "As a company, we are taking all sorts of measures; however, if things get bad, travel is the last thing people care about."

With high passenger traffic and critical cargo movement, these airport closures have led to changes in schedules, rerouting, and has led to added pressure on alternate hubs, said Dr Vandana Singh, Chairperson Aviation Cargo, Federation Aviation Industry in India (FAII).

"Airlines and logistics providers are actively realigning operations, but the disruption is being felt across both commercial and cargo sectors," she added.

While most non – critical travel has been deferred but, critical travel is facing disruptions, said Aakalp Johari, CEO and Co-founder, India Assist, an assistance and distress management solutions provider.

The X accounts of airlines like IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet are flooded with enquiries.

One X user asked if IndiGo was "giving full refund for the flights booked to and from SXR (Srinagar)."

"Hi, please be informed we are currently offering a waiver to bookings till 15th May'25. We are currently reviewing the situation and will provide an update as soon as possible. We sincerely appreciate your patience in the meantime," IndiGo replied.

Another traveller, seeking urgent help, wrote to the airline saying that his family is stuck in Leh as their 11 AM flight 6E-648, from Leh to Mumbai, was cancelled. "The situation is tense and we’re very worried," the traveller said.

In its latest statement, IndiGo also 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 hrs 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," the airline added.

Travellers flying with Air India are checking whether their flights are getting diverted. One flyer wrote, "Can you (Air India) please clarify where would AI170 land?"  Flight AI 170 will be diverted to Delhi in view of the prevailing situation, Air India said.

The travel disruptions have occurred during peak summer season when travel platforms were seeing strong demand.

Dang highlighted the drop in bookings after the attack in Pahalgam. "The impact has been there since the last 15 days. Bookings have been subdued to many destinations in the north. The next 48 hours are important to understand how things will move."

The impact on tourist bookings has been significant, Johari said. "In our view, the recovery may take some time, but once it starts, it’ll be swift," he added .

Platforms like Ixigo were seeing a strong surge in demand for cooler domestic destinations this summer, which led to a significant rise in airfares.

With heat waves sweeping across parts of the country, travellers were increasingly choosing hill getaways to beat the heat. As a result, flight bookings to destinations like Kullu, Dehradun, and Shimla had gone up by 50-100 percent year on year (YoY) during April and May. The surge in demand had also pushed up ticket prices for certain routes, especially on last-minute bookings.

Many foreign locales, especially Southeast Asian destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Bali, also saw a 100–120 percent YoY spike in bookings, on an average. Almaty emerged as one of the top three most-booked destinations, with a 77 percent YoY increase, surpassing even Bali and Vietnam.

Singh pointed out that uncertainty surrounding travel in sensitive regions has affected travel sentiment as passengers are reassessing their plans, particularly in impacted areas.

Routes to Europe, North America, and Central Asia are seeing longer flight durations due to rerouted paths avoiding Pakistani airspace, pointed out Karan Agarwal, Director, Cox & Kings.

Travellers flying to cities like London, Frankfurt, Toronto, and even transit hubs like Dubai should factor in possible delays or changes, he said.

Agarwal said that right now, travellers should reconsider non-essential travel to certain domestic regions like Kashmir, parts of Jammu, Leh, and Amritsar.

"While these disruptions are real and impactful, they are temporary measures for a larger purpose of safeguarding our people and our sovereignty," she said.

The industry and government are responding with dynamic scheduling, flexible fleet management, and contingency planning to ensure minimal impact on service continuity.  Airlines, cargo handlers, and airport authorities are working in close coordination to maintain safety and minimize disruption," she added.