India-Pakistan Tensions: Air Travel Disrupted As 11% Of Daily Domestic Routes Affected

India’s daily domestic air traffic has declined by 11% as the shutdown of 24 airports following mounting tensions between India and Pakistan continued to disrupt civilian aviation.

The average daily domestic flights dropped from 3,265 in April to 2,907 as of May 8, according to data compiled by NDTV Profit. Approximately 670 airline routes will be affected over May 9-10. This includes 334 incoming and 336 outgoing flights across the 24 shut airports, FlightRadar24 data showed.

That came as 24 airports across India remain closed following a series of cross-border strikes and retaliatory attacks. On Thursday night, India intercepted multiple drones and missiles launched by Pakistan targeting key military sites in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and Amritsar. The conflict escalated after Operation Sindoor— where Indian armed forces neutralised terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir on Wednesday.

Airports in Srinagar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jammu and Leh account for the most affected routes. Other impacted airports include Patiala, Bhuntar, Pathankot, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Mundra, Keshod and Rajkot.

Delays have also hit operations at major metro airports. Between 4% and 31% of arrivals are delayed across cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai, according to FlightRadar24. Departures from these airports show higher disruption, with 26% to 82% of flights delayed, FlightRadar24 data showed.

International traffic remains largely stable, with daily flights dipping marginally from 616 to 604, according to FlightRadar24 data.