Civil aviation across northern and western India has taken a severe hit as escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan continue to disrupt flight operations. Over the last 48 hours, 228 flights have been cancelled at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), with more delays expected.
The fallout follows Pakistan’s missile and drone attack on Indian cities in Jammu, Punjab, Gujarat, and Rajasthan late Thursday, which prompted immediate airspace restrictions and the suspension of IPL matches and civil air travel.
On Friday alone, 138 flights were cancelled in Delhi—63 domestic arrivals, 66 domestic departures, 4 international arrivals, and 5 international departures. On May 8, another 90+ flights were grounded, with over 200 more delayed during peak morning hours.
DIAL, which operates IGIA, confirmed that “airport operations remain normal” but acknowledged that “flight schedules and security processing timings may be impacted due to evolving airspace conditions and heightened security protocols.”
Passengers are being advised to arrive early and expect longer wait times at security checkpoints.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has ordered the temporary suspension of civil flight operations at 24 airports till Saturday (May 10). The list includes major border and sensitive region airports such as Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Chandigarh, and Bhuj, among others.
The airspace restrictions follow Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory military strike on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Thursday’s Pakistani strike marked a dangerous escalation, with Indian air defence systems intercepting incoming projectiles and triggering blackouts and air raid sirens across northern cities.
As air travel remains uncertain, passengers are urged to check flight statuses regularly and cooperate with airport and airline authorities.
