Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, others cancel flights, many airports shut as India launches Operation Sindoor, strikes terror bases in Pakistan, PoK

Amid a serious crackdown on terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir by the Indian forces early Wednesday, both domestic and international airlines have announced widespread flight diversions and cancellations. Several carriers are reporting major operational disruptions due to changing airspace conditions in the region.

Air India announced disruptions across nine cities. 

“In view of the prevailing situation, Air India has cancelled all its flights to and from the following stations – Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot – till 12 noon on 7 May, pending further updates from authorities. Two international flights en route to Amritsar are being diverted to Delhi,” Air India said in a post on X.

IndiGo has cancelled flights to and from seven airports, issuing a travel advisory stating that operations to Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, and Bikaner are affected.

“In continuation to our earlier update and in wake of the prevailing situation, flights to/from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, and Jodhpur stand cancelled for the day. We are anticipating changes in flight schedules across our network and sincerely advise all customers to stay updated on their flight status before heading to the airport,” IndiGo said in a post.

SpiceJet confirmed that several airports across north and west India, including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar, have been shut until further notice. Departures, arrivals, and connecting flights are likely to be impacted.

Akasa Air also informed that its flights to and from Srinagar are affected due to the airport closure.

Air India Express added that flights to and from Hindon, in addition to Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar, will remain cancelled until noon today.

International operations are also facing disruptions. Qatar Airways announced that it has temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan due to the closure of Pakistani airspace.

Airports across parts of north-west India have been shut until further notice following India's military strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The precision strikes, named Operation Sindoor, were launched early Wednesday in retaliation for last month’s deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

On April 22, 26 civilians were killed in the Pahalgam attack, prompting a sharp response from India. In the early hours of Wednesday, the Indian Armed Forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets, including in Bahawalpur — a known stronghold of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed group.

An official statement clarified that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.

As a security measure, airspace in northern India has been restricted. Flight tracking websites showed no commercial flights over Indian airspace north of New Delhi. According to Flightradar data, 18 inbound flights to Srinagar were cancelled.