Chaos as north, western states shut 18 airports

India closed at least 18 airports in northern and western parts of the country for civilian movement on Wednesday morning, hours after New Delhi carried out precision strikes on "terrorist infrastructure" at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians two weeks ago.

- Prawesh Lama

NEW DELHI:

The affected airports included key facilities across five border states: Leh, Thois, Srinagar, Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir; Dharamshala and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh; Amritsar, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhatinda in Punjab; Jodhpur, Kishangarh and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan; and Jamnagar, Bhuj, Rajkot, and Porbandar in Gujarat, along with Chandigarh.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) remained the northernmost operational civilian facility apart from Dehradun. "The 16 airports such as Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar and in other border areas have been shut. The airports are in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat. There is no cause for panic. It is a precautionary step. The airports have been sealed for civilians," said an official.

Indian carriers scrambled to adjust their schedules amid the evolving situation. Air India announced: "In view of the prevailing situation, Air India has cancelled all its flights to and from the following stations -- Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot -- till 12 noon. Two international flights en route to Amritsar are being diverted to Delhi. We regret the inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen disruption."