Air travel flies into heavy turbulence

Air travel across India continued to be disrupted following 'Operation Sindoor', with hundreds of flights cancelled and closures of 27 airports. Airlines and travel operators are also experiencing reduced travel demand even as security was significantly ramped up at key airports.

The government has further extended the closure of these airports in north and west India till May 14, following Thursday's drone attacks.



At Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), 63 domestic arrivals and 66 departures were cancelled as of 2.30 pm Friday.

A day before, 360 flights were affected-roughly 8% of India's daily scheduled departures under normal conditions, said an executive at a leading online travel agency (OTA). The disruptions coincide with a sharp 23% week-on-week drop in flight searches for the travel period May 5-8, compared to April 20-May 2, the person said.

"With 27 airports closed and widespread flight cancellations due to ongoing airspace restrictions, we understand the uncertainty and inconvenience this has caused travelers...We are offering full refunds," said Aloke Bajpai, group CEO at ixigo.

A senior official at a budget airline said the prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan are causing visible disruptions to air travel. "Five airports in northern India have been shut down, and we are seeing a cascading effect across the aviation network. Leisure travel is being directly impacted, with cancellations and postponements rising as travellers react to the uncertainty. Business travel is also being hit, as companies scale back immediate travel plans to the region," the executive said.


IndiGo, India's largest airline, is reported to have cancelled 509 flights. However, people familiar with the matter said the scale of disruption, while significant, is not unprecedented.

Delhi International Airport stated on X: " ... due to evolving airspace conditions and heightened security measures, some flight schedules and security processing timings may be impacted."

Mumbai International Airport advised travellers to arrive early due to longer processing times.