Civilian air travel in parts of northern and western India faced renewed disruption on Tuesday as leading airlines IndiGo and Air India cancelled several flights to and from cities near the India-Pakistan border. The cancellations, announced late Monday night, come in the wake of recent cross-border military escalations and a fragile ceasefire agreement reached just days ago.
Affected cities include strategically located destinations such as Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Rajkot, Bhuj, and Jamnagar—many of which had only just resumed limited operations following a temporary shutdown last week.
Air India suspended round-trip services involving Jammu, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot. IndiGo followed suit, halting flights to and from Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, and Rajkot. Both airlines cited "passenger safety" and "latest developments" as the primary reasons for the precautionary move.
"Our teams are continuously monitoring the situation. Passenger safety is our top priority," IndiGo stated in an official update on X (formerly Twitter). Air India also posted a public advisory assuring travelers of full refunds or rescheduling options.
These new flight suspensions came just a day after the Airports Authority of India (AAI) reopened operations at 32 airports that had been temporarily closed amid rising military tensions. The airports that were reopened on Monday included Adampur, Ambala, Awantipur, Bathinda, Bikaner, Halwara, Hindon, Jaisalmer, Kandla, Kangra, Keshod, Kishangarh, Kullu Manali, Ludhiana, Mundra, Naliya, Pathankot, Patiala, Porbandar, Sarsawa, Shimla, Thoise, and Uttarlai.
The disruption follows a sharp spike in hostilities triggered by a devastating terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people. Indian authorities blamed the assault on Pakistan-based terror outfits. In response, India launched "Operation Sindoor" on May 7, a large-scale military offensive targeting terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Over 100 militants linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Hizbul Mujahideen were reportedly neutralized.
Pakistan retaliated by deploying drones and launching missile strikes across the border, prompting swift countermeasures by Indian forces, who targeted Pakistani military assets in Rafiqui, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Sialkot.
