India Shuts Down 24 Airports Till May 15
India-West News Desk
NEW DELHI – The Civil Aviation Ministry of India has announced the suspension of civilian operations at 24 airports across northern India till May 15 and further to that, pending notice. The decision comes in the wake of a series of drone and missile attacks launched by Pakistan, targeting multiple locations in Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has also issued additional security measures. These include a ban on visitor entry into airport terminal buildings and mandatory secondary ladder point checking for all departing flights.
“It is necessary to enhance security measures at all civil aviation installations—including airports, airstrips, airfields, air force stations, helipads, flying schools, and aviation training institutes—so that no untoward incident takes place in the country,” the ministry stated.
In an official notification, the Ministry confirmed that the following airports (here in alphabetical order) have ceased civilian travel operations:
- Amritsar
- Bhatinda
- Bhuj
- Bhunter
- Bikaner
- Chandigarh
- Halwara
- Hirasar (Rajkot)
- Jaisalmer
- Jamnagar
- Jammu
- Jodhpur
- Kangra-Gaggal
- Kandla
- Keshod
- Kishengarh
- Leh
- Ludhiana
- Mundra
- Pathankot
- Patiala
- Porbandar
- Shimla
- Srinagar
The disruptions have led to the cancellation of several hundred flights.
