India’s Runways Reawaken: 32 Airports Reopen, Travel Takes Flight

In a major relief to air passengers, 32 airports across northern and western India reopened to civilian flying after a brief shut-down due to increased military tensions between India and Pakistan. In a statement on Monday, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the airports, closed on May 7, have now reopened to regular civil aircraft operations with effect from Monday.

 

Major airports such as Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Bikaner, Hindon, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and more had been affected by the closure, and roughly 1,500 flights have been cancelled during the past week. The opening follows a ceasefire agreement between the two countries, which followed cancellation of previous Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and the restart of air connectivity.

 

Major carriers like IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet have started reviving services on major domestic routes in phases. IndiGo has revived services on the Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Jammu, and Delhi-Amritsar routes, while Air India and Air India Express are reviving services to places such as Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, and Bhuj in phases. Passengers must contact airlines personally for the new flight schedule as services will go back to normal in the next few days.

 

While operations have resumed, certain flights to and from airports in locations near the border can still experience delays or last-minute cancellations as a result of the security concerns. Airlines have waived fees for changes and cancellations through May 22 on affected routes.

 

The resumption of services is a return to normalcy for thousands of passengers and will serve to ease disruption in air travel across the region.

 

Source: The Indian Express