Airlines have been told to avoid certain existing flight routes between Delhi-Mumbai, India’s primary trunk route for domestic air travel, and re-route flights till May 14 amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan.
The directive comes shortly after Pakistan launched a fresh wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations — from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat — for the second night today, with the defence ministry saying the enemy’s attempts to hit vital installations, including airports and air bases, were successfully thwarted.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has issued a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), announcing the temporary closure of 32 airports across northern and western India for all civil flight operations. Earlier, at least 24 airports had been ordered shut for civilian flight operations till May 10.
The closure will be effective from “May 9, 2025, to May 14, 2025 (which corresponds to 0529 IST on 15th May 2025), due to operational reasons,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation or aviation regulator DGCA said in a release.
The temporary closure, said the regulator, is being managed in coordination with relevant ATC units to ensure safety and minimise disruption.
At least 11 per cent of the daily domestic air traffic has been affected following the shutdown of 24 airports in the country.
According to industry data, average daily domestic flights dropped from 3,265 in April to 2,907 (as of May 8). Nearly 670 airline routes will be affected over May 9-10. This includes 334 incoming and 336 outgoing flights across the 24 airports that have been shut, according to FlightRadar24 data.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has advised all airlines and airports in the country to strengthen security measures.
“Due to an order from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security regarding enhanced security measures at airports, passengers across the country are encouraged to allow extra time for check-in and boarding. Check-in will close 75 minutes before departure,” said Air India.
On April 30, India shut its airspace for Pakistan airlines as part of retaliatory measures in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
