The civilian flight operations were impacted across North India in the wake of India’s retaliation against terrorist targets in Pakistan on early Wednesday morning.
According to domestic airlines, flight operations to and from airports such as Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Dharamshala, among others, have been impacted.
The Tata Group’s hybrid airline, Air India Express, said that it has suspended all flights to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, and Hindon till 12 p.m. on Wednesday.
“In keeping with prevailing restrictions, multiple flights on our network are impacted, including cancellations of flights to and from Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, and Hindon till midday on 7th May,” AIX said in a statement.
On its part, Air India said that in view of the prevailing situation, it has cancelled all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot—till 12 noon on May 7, ‘pending further updates from authorities.’
“Two international flights en route to Amritsar are being diverted to Delhi,” Air India said in a statement.
As per IndiGo, its flight operations to and from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, and Dharamshala are impacted due to changing airspace conditions in the region.
The flight disruptions come hours after the Indian Armed Forces, on early Wednesday morning, carried out precision strikes on terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK).
An official communiqué said that forces launched “Operation Sindoor,” targeting nine sites where terrorist attacks against India have been 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.”
Since the attack, India’s top political brass has given 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 had been planned across the country.