May 7, 2025: Air travel across northern India faced significant disruptions today (07-05-2025), following the Indian Armed Forces’ launch of “Operation Sindoor,” a military operation targeting terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was executed in response to a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists, including 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen.
In the wake of the operation, major airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air, issued travel advisories, informing passengers of flight cancellations and reroutes. The Airports Authority of India confirmed that Srinagar Airport would be closed for the day, meaning no commercial flights could take off or land.
Air India canceled all flights to and from Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot until 12 noon on May 7. SpiceJet also confirmed that several key airports in northern India, including Dharamshala, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar, were closed until further notice.
Operation Sindoor commenced at 1:44 AM on May 7, with the Indian Armed Forces targeting nine identified terrorist sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These sites were reportedly used to plan and direct attacks against India. The Ministry of Defence described the strikes as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” emphasizing that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted. The operation aimed to disrupt the infrastructure supporting terrorist activities following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
Confirmed strike locations included Muzaffarabad and Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province, all of which have been linked to militant operations. Muzaffarabad serves as the administrative capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and is strategically significant.
