Air India, IndiGo cancel flights again after drones spotted over J&K, Punjab

IndiGo and Tata Group-owned Air India cancelled flights to and from cities such as Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, Rajkot, Jodhpur, Bhuj, and Jamnagar, among others, Tuesday after drone activity was observed for a few hours late on Monday.

Drones were spotted near the International Border in Jammu's Samba district and Punjab's Jalandhar district, prompting authorities to impose a blackout in these areas, newswire PTI reported.

IndiGo had reopened its flight bookings and resumed operations starting May 12 progressively on select routes including Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Jammu and Delhi-Amritsar. Although the Delhi-Jammu and Delhi-Chandigarh flights proceeded smoothly, the airline's Delhi-Amritsar flight had to return to New Delhi midway due to a precautionary blackout implemented in Amritsar and several other parts of Punjab.

The flights were cancelled on Tuesday. “In light of the latest developments and with your safety as our utmost priority, flights to and from Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, and Rajkot are cancelled for May 13, 2025. “We understand how this may disrupt your travel plans, and regret the inconvenience caused. Our teams are actively monitoring the situation and will promptly keep you informed of further updates,” the Gurugram-based carrier said.

This comes hours after India’s aviation authorities issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to reopen 32 shut airports following the ceasefire with Pakistan. IndiGo on Monday said that the recently closed airports are now available for airline operations following the government directives after the India-Pakistan ceasefire.

IndiGo said more flights will resume gradually across its network over the course of the next few days. The closure of 32 airports amid the India-Pakistan conflict led to the cancellation of more than 165 IndiGo flights daily.

Meanwhile, Air India said it is monitoring the situation and will keep passengers updated. “In view of the latest developments and keeping your safety in mind, flights to and from Jammu, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot are cancelled for Tuesday, 13th May,” it said in a post on X.

Air India Express, the budget arm of Air India, on Monday announced that it will progressively restart flights from airports that were temporarily closed, now that authorities have lifted the NOTAMs. "From tomorrow, flights will resume on routes such as Hindon–Bengaluru, Jammu–Delhi, Jammu–Srinagar, and Srinagar–Delhi," the airline stated. "Services on the Hindon–Mumbai route are scheduled to recommence the following day." It also mentioned that the restoration of other routes, including international flights from Amritsar, is anticipated to begin from May 15.

Shares of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent company of IndiGo, soared as much as 10% on Monday to hit a high of ₹5,599 on the BSE.