Disruption in air services persisted at Delhi Airport for a second consecutive day due to heightened tensions between Pakistan and India as airspace restrictions forced the cancellation and delay of flights. The condition deteriorated further after Pakistan unleashed a drone and missile attack on Indian cities spread across Jammu, Punjab, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
Delhi International Airport recorded 228 cancellation of flights within the last two days. At least 138 flights were grounded on Friday when 63 arrived domestically, 66 departed domestically, 4 arrived internationally, and 5 departed internationally.
Cancellations on May 9 broken down:
- Domestic Departure: 66
- Domestic Arrival: 63
- International Departure: 5
- International Arrival: 4
On May 8, more than 90 flights were cancelled, and over 200 flights were delayed, mostly between 8 am and 2 pm in peak hours.
“Delhi airport operations are normal. But because of changing airspace conditions and increased security protocols, some flight schedules and security processing times might be affected,” DIAL tweeted on X on Friday.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), India’s busiest airport, also requested passengers to provide additional time at security checks and comply with airline and security staff for seamless processing.
An additional disruption came as the Civil Aviation Ministry stated that 24 airports would be closed for civil flight operations till May 10. The impacted airports are Amritsar, Bathinda, Bhuj, Jammu, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and others.
Tensions between the two nations escalated after a Pakistani missile and drone attack was launched on Indian areas. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the attack had been launched from Pakistan, even though Indian air defence systems intercepted the attack successfully. This led to power outages, air raid alarms in several cities, and the postponement of an ongoing IPL match in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
This ramp-up comes after India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, a military attack on Pakistan and PoK in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
