7 May, India
Multiple flights by Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet have been cancelled or delayed due to a mix of geopolitical tensions.
Indian airlines—Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet—have been experiencing major disruptions over the past few weeks, and there have been large-scale flight cancellations and delays. All these disruptions result from a coincidence of geopolitical factors.
More than 200 flights were cancelled, and at least 18 airports, including Srinagar, Leh, Jammu, and Amritsar, were temporarily shut on Wednesday after the Indian armed forces launched missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“Because of the prevailing situation, Air India has cancelled all its flights to and from the following stations – Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot – till noon on 7 May, pending further updates from authorities. Two international flights en route to Amritsar are being diverted to Delhi,” Air India said in a post on X.
“In continuation of our earlier update and wake of the prevailing situation, flights to/from Srinagar, Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Bikaner, and Jodhpur stand cancelled for the day. We are anticipating changes in flight schedules across our network and sincerely advise all customers to stay updated on their flight status before heading to the airport,” IndiGo said in a post.
International flights are also being disrupted. Qatar Airways reported that it has temporarily suspended all flights to Pakistan due to the closure of Pakistani airspace.
India’s military air raids on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok). The targeted air strikes, code-named Operation Sindoor, were carried out early Wednesday as a response to last month’s deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Geopolitical Tensions and Airspace Restrictions
In the face of a fatal crash in Kashmir, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airlines, forcing carriers to divert flights to Europe, North America, and Asia. The shutdown has increased travel times by up to four hours and required extra fuel stops in cities such as Vienna and Copenhagen.
Air India expects to spend around $600 million in extra costs for a year because of such diversion. IndiGo and SpiceJet have also been impacted, with IndiGo postponing flights to Tashkent and Almaty.
As a security measure, airspace in northern India has been restricted. Flight tracking websites showed no commercial flights over Indian airspace north of New Delhi. According to Flightradar data, 18 inbound flights to Srinagar were cancelled.
Operation Sindoor
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor at 1.44 am on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, against nine terrorist locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where “terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.” The Ministry of Defence stated in the early hours:
“The Indian Forces carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where the plans for and direction of terrorist attacks on India have originated. In all, nine locations were targeted.”
The Indian aviation industry keeps addressing these complex challenges, working to regain and sustain passenger confidence in the face of persistent uncertainty.
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