Update: Over 24 Airports in North India shut on account of military action through May 15, 2025

As we would all know by now, India performed a military action overnight to respond to the terror attacks in Pehelgam in April 2025. This has escalated into a crossfire on both sides. In preparation of future eventualities, the Government of India had  ordered various airports in North India to be shut temporarily as of May 7, 2025.

Airports across north and west India shut till May 15, 2025 0529 Hours.

Several airports across northern and western India were shut for civilian flights between May 7-10, 2025. This closure has been extended through May 15, 2025 (0529 Hours) for now.  The following airports are shut:

  1. Chandigarh
  2. Srinagar
  3. Amritsar
  4. Ludhiana
  5. Bhuntar
  6. Kishengarh
  7. Patiala
  8. Shimla
  9. Kangra-Gaggal
  10. Bathinda
  11. Jaisalmer
  12. Jodhpur
  13. Bikaner
  14. Halwara
  15. Pathankot
  16. Jammu
  17. Leh
  18. Mundra
  19. Jamnagar
  20. Hirasar / Rajkot
  21. Porbandar
  22. Keshod
  23. Kandla
  24. Bhuj
  25. Gwalior
  26. Hindon / Ghaziabad

Arguably, many of these airports double up as air force facilities rather than just civilian airports or are in places where an operation or a response is expected. Also, closing down the air corridor allows for an easier monitoring of the airspace for threats. This is how the airspace looks as of 1140 hours. As you can see, everything above Delhi is shut.

The image is a screenshot from a flight tracking service, showing a map of parts of the Middle East and South Asia. Numerous yellow airplane icons are scattered across the map, indicating the locations of various flights in real-time. The map includes countries such as India, Pakistan, Iran, and surrounding regions. The background shows geographical features like mountains and bodies of water.

Red lines indicate FIR Boundries not political maps. Image courtesy FlightRadar24

Airlines cancel flights

Airlines have had to cancel flights due to the shutdown of these airports.

IndiGo has announced that flights to/from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, and Rajkot are cancelled till May 15, 2025 0529 hours. Here is a thread of their announcements.

Air India announced that flights to and from – Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot – are being cancelled till 0529 hrs IST on May 15, 2025. Two international flights en route to Amritsar were diverted to Delhi.

Air India Express is offering a full refund or free rescheduling for flights to and from Amritsar, Gwalior, Jammu, Srinagar and Hindon until 05:30hrs on May 10, 2025.

StarAir has cancelled flights for the day to/from the following airports: Nanded, Hindon, Adampur, Kishangarh and Bhuj.

SpiceJet said that airports in parts of northern India, including Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Kandla, and Dharamshala are closed until May 10, 2025. They are cancelling flights till then.

AkasaAir cancelled its flight to Srinagar for a similar reason.

 

It is unclear how long this heightened situation is expected to last, but for the next day or so, airports might remain closed, affecting many people’s travel plans. It is a good idea to check your flight before leaving home.

Bottomline

Air traffic operations across north India and western India will be on the verge of disruption, as many airports have been shut for the time being as a preventive measure. If you are destined to fly to one of these airports, remember to check with the airline before you depart home.

What do you make of the current closure of various Indian airports?


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About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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