Flight diversions surge Mumbai air traffic

Air traffic controllers in Mumbai are operating with heightened vigilance as flights through the city's airspace have surged by over 60% following escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, multiple officials said, even as scores of more flights were scrapped on Thursday.

- Neha LM Tripathi

NEW DELHI:

Twenty-four airports across northern India remain closed for civil aviation until at least Saturday morning, with Delhi and Dehradun now serving as the only operational northernmost airports in the country. The closures, which have led to widespread flight cancellations, came after India's targeted strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early on Wednesday, which was followed by attempts by Pakistani forces to strike India, which Indian officials said were thwarted by air defences.

The closure has forced airlines to cancel over 250 flights. IndiGo alone has cancelled more than 165 flights, while Air India has scrapped approximately 65 services since Wednesday.

The Mumbai Flight Information Region (FIR), which typically handles about 750 international overflights daily, is now managing approximately 1,200, pushing the total daily traffic in Mumbai's airspace beyond 3,000 flights when combined with the airport's 900+ movements and domestic overflights.