8 airports shut for 6 hrs amid tension, reopened

NEW DELHI: Eight Indian airports were closed to commercial flights for around six hours on Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded. According to a notice issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the airspace over the Jammu, Srinagar, Amritsar, Pathankot, Leh, Shimla, Kangra, and Kullu airports was closed on the request of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The closure ended at 2.30 pm. Pakistan, too, closed its airspace for commercial flights on Wednesday and suspended operations at many airports.

“There have been a total of 47 cancellations, 25 departures and 22 arrivals. Additionally there were 4 flights destined for other airports that were diverted to Delhi, two domestic and two international,” a Delhi airport spokesperson said.

Most of the flights to and from the eight Indian airports were cancelled. Passengers stuck in planes were brought back to the terminal. Most were shifted to hotels after airlines cancelled their flights.

“International flights that transit between Indian and Pakistani airspace now being affected. Some flights returning to origin, while others appear to be seeking alternate routing. Re-routes and returns to origin for over a dozen flights that normally transit between Pakistani and Indian airspace. Technical (fuel) stops likely for some of these,” Flightradar, which tracks movement of flights, tweeted.

Several international airlines either had to go back or take alternative routes to reach their destination after the airspace closures. British Airways said it was monitoring the situation closely.

Air India announced inbound and outbound flights from the US and Europe to Delhi were being re-routed through Ahmedabad and Mumbai instead of through Pakistan. “Flights landing into India from USA and Europe are being diverted to Dubai and Sharjah due to technical requirements and will land with a delay. No flights are cancelled and there will be only an increase in flying time,” Air India said.

AAI officials said decisions on the use of airspace will be taken by the IAF in the coming days. Airlines said that they will not levy any fee for re-booking flights. “Passengers whose flights were cancelled today (27 February) due to airspace restrictions have been provided a full refund or have been rebooked on alternative flights of their choice at no extra charge,” said a SpiceJet spokesperson.

Several airlines issued statements about cancellation of flights, including Vistara, Spicejet, IndiGo and Jet Airways.

Late on Wednesday, Air Canada said it was temporarily suspending services to India.