Operation Sindoor: International carriers divert away from Pakistani airspace as India strikes; flights at few Indian airports impacted | Business News
With the Indian armed forces striking nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, most international flights overflying Pakistan diverted away and steered clear of the Pakistani airspace. In India, flight operations from a few airports in the northern region have been impacted due to the developing situation and the consequent changes in airspace conditions, according to the country’s largest airline IndiGo. No civil flights will be operated from or to the Srinagar airport on Wednesday.
“Most flights are diverting out of Pakistani airspace…Non-Pakistani aircraft—both to Pakistan airports and overflights—appear to be diverting, while Pakistani airlines are continuing to their destinations at this time,” flight tracking service Flightradar24 posted on social media platform X shortly after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK.
With tensions rising between India and Pakistan in the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed by terrorists, some international airlines were already avoiding the Pakistani airspace, while a few others continued to overfly the country. However, with India launching the strikes, the Pakistani airspace quickly emptied out as overseas carriers diverted away from it, showed flight tracking data.
The airlines whose flights were diverted away from Pakistani airspace in view of India’s strikes included Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Finnair, Saudia, Air Arabia, and Mahan Air.
The data also showed no civilian aircraft activity north of Delhi, where some of the sensitive airports close to the India-Pakistan border are located.
#6ETravelAdvisory: Due to changing airspace conditions in the region, our flights to and from #Srinagar, #Jammu, #Amritsar, #Leh, #Chandigarh and #Dharamshala are impacted. We request you to check your flight status at https://t.co/CjwsVzFov0 before reaching the airport.
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) May 6, 2025
“Due to changing airspace conditions in the region, our flights to and from #Srinagar, #Jammu, #Amritsar, #Leh, #Chandigarh and #Dharamshala are impacted. We request you to check your flight status…before reaching the airport,” India’s largest carrier IndiGo said in a travel advisory posted on X.
The airline said that in addition to these airports, flights to and from Bikaner in Rajasthan are also impacted due to the airspace restrictions. Most of these airports are close to the India-Pakistan border and in the vicinity of key Indian Air Force bases.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
