Travel plans take a hit amid airport closures

Travel plans of Indians took a hit on Wednesday following Operation Sindoor with flights to several destinations such as Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot getting cancelled. Flights to destinations such as Gwalior and Bikaner were also hit. Travel companies said they were evaluating the developments and besides domestic travellers getting impacted, inbound travel to the country was also likely to get hit. Subhash Goyal, chairman, STIC Travel and chairman of the civil aviation and tourism committee at Indian Chamber of Commerce said the upcoming domestic summer bookings will be impacted with the ongoing developments. “It’s not just about immediate airport closures. In a scenario like this, people would be wary of stepping out domestically in the coming weeks. We are not seeing an impact on overseas bookings just yet, but you never know,” he added.

In a security alert on May 7, the US embassy in New Delhi stated there are potential flight disruptions across India, and that the US citizens should avoid travel to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, review their personal security plans, and monitor local media for updates. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), that leads UK’s diplomatic, development and consular work around the world stated that it was aware of potential disruption to flights to from India and was monitoring the situation ‘closely.’

“British nationals should contact their airline for up-to-date information,” stated FCDO and urged them to follow the advice of local authorities.

Karan Agarwal, director, Cox & Kings said at times like these, when geopolitical tensions are high, travellers need to balance their desire to explore with an understanding of the broader landscape.

Live Events

“Right now, travellers should reconsider non-essential travel to certain domestic regions like Kashmir, parts of Jammu, Leh, and Amritsar. These areas are often the first to experience disruptions, both operational and security-related, when tensions escalate,” he said.“Internationally, routes to Europe, North America, and Central Asia are seeing longer flight durations due to rerouted paths avoiding Pakistani airspace. Travellers flying to cities like London, Frankfurt, Toronto, and even transit hubs like Dubai should factor in possible delays or changes,” he added.SpiceJet and IndiGo said departures, arrivals and consequential flights will be impacted as a result of airport closures and changing airspace conditions in parts of Northern India including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar. Passengers took to social media seeking refunds.

IndiGo said its flights to and from destinations such as Jodhpur, Bikaner, Gwalior, Rajkot and Kishangarh were also impacted by current airspace restrictions.

Air India said it was cancelling flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot till May 10 following a notification from aviation authorities on closure of these airports.The airline said customers holding valid tickets for travel during this period will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund for cancellations.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}