LIVE: Commercial flights resume at all airports, confirms DGCA; Civil Aviation Ministry 'strictly' following instructions of IAF, says minister Jayant Sinha
Amid escalating tension with Pakistan, many airports were closed on Wednesday for civilian air traffic, officials said as per news agency PTI. The move to close the airports comes amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the Indian Air Force carried out strikes on terror bases in Pakistan. Here are all the LIVE and LATEST updates related to flight operations, airports and other aviation developments in the wake of India-Pakistan tension:-
- Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha on Wednesday said his ministry was "strictly" following the "guidelines and instructions" of the Indian Air Force.
- Commercial flights resumed at all Indian airports after being suspended earlier in the day on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, as per news agency IANS. Recently, news agency ANI tweeted - "NOTAM (Notice to Airmen to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route) has been withdrawn. Flight operations will resume."
- Jet Airways #9Wupdate: Further due to airport closure at Chandigarh and Dehradun, some of our flights have been affected. For real-time flight status follow: http://bitly.com/FltStat_T
#9Wupdate: Further due to airport closure at Chandigarh and Dehradun, some of our flights have been affected. For real-time flight status follow: https://t.co/aT3wpZexyr
— Jet Airways (@jetairways) February 27, 2019
- Jet Airways #9Wupdate: Due to air space closure, we'll waive off penalties for date/ flight change, refund & no-show on confirmed tickets for travel to/ from Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Srinagar on 27th February 2019.
#9Wupdate: Due to air space closure, we'll waive off penalties for date/ flight change, refund & no-show on confirmed tickets for travel to/ from Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Srinagar on 27th February 2019.
— Jet Airways (@jetairways) February 27, 2019
- Jet Airways tweets - "#9WUpdate As per instructions from Delhi ATC regarding airport closure, flight operations to/from Amritsar, Srinagar, Jammu & Leh have been suspended until further notice. We request our guests check their flight status before proceeding to the airport http://bitly.com/9wfltstatus."
#9WUpdate As per instructions from Delhi ATC regarding airport closure, flight operations to/from Amritsar, Srinagar, Jammu & Leh have been suspended until further notice. We request our guests check their flight status before proceeding to the airport https://t.co/q3TCmCPN0Q
— Jet Airways (@jetairways) February 27, 2019
- - The airports at Halwara near Ludhiana and Adampur near Jalandhar, which are both with the Indian Air Force (IAF), were also put on high alert.
- Flight operations suspended from Amritsar: Commercial flight operations were suspended on Wednesday from the Guru Ram Das Jee International airport in Amritsar amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Passengers who were in the Amritsar airport terminal to catch flights for various destinations were asked to leave the building. The Army, Indian Air Force (IAF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel took control of the airport complex.
- Mumbai (Maharashtra): Security was tightened at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), major stations and terminals of Western Railway, Central Railway, Konkan Railway, suburban railway stations with high footfalls, bus depots and other sensitive installations in and around the city.
- - Police checks have also been intensified at the CSMIA, cargo complex and major hotels in its vicinity, and armed police and dog squads were scrutinising the luggage of passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Dadar Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus from where most long-distance trains arrive or depart.
- Punjab:Passengers stranded as flight operations at Amritsar airport have been suspended.
Punjab: Passengers stranded as flight operations at Amritsar airport have been suspended. pic.twitter.com/fQEtEEqZZh
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019
- Pakistan immediately stops its domestic and international flight operations from Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Islamabad airports.
- "International flights that transit between Indian and Pakistani airspace now being affected. Some flights returning to origin, while others appear to be seeking alternate routing." - ANI sources
- Flight operations have been suspended at Amritsar airport, as per ANI. AP Acharya, Amritsar Airport Director says, "Due to operational reasons the airspace at Amritsar has been closed for now. "
AP Acharya, Amritsar Airport Director: Due to operational reasons the airspace at Amritsar has been closed for now. No commercial flights are coming to Amritsar, there is no base here, so flights are not even taking off from here. pic.twitter.com/6rAbiDX7VL
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019
- - Uttarakhand: Flight operations at Dehradun airport also have been temporarily suspended, as per ANI.
- Himachal Pradesh: Flight operations temporarily suspended at Shimla, Bhuntar and Gagal airports, according to ANI.
- Air India official says, "Air India avoiding route of Pakistan air space with immediate effect."
Air India official: Air India avoiding route of Pakistan air space with immediate effect. India use Pakistan airspace for flights to Gulf countries, Europe and USA pic.twitter.com/SOMQmGrHPe
— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2019
- Jet Airways said that in "line with the instructions received from Delhi ATC regarding airport closure Jet Airways flight operations to and from Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar and Leh have been suspended until further notice".
- Vistara Airlines said in a tweet, "Due to airspace restrictions flights to and from Amritsar, Srinagar and Jammu are currently on hold. Chandigarh is now open again for flights.
- Commercial operations from Chandigarh international airport are on. Earlier operations at Chandigarh were halted for sometime. "Commercial operations are on," Chandigarh Airport director Suneel Dutt said.
- Airports at Chandigarh, Pathankot, Halwara are Bathinda have been put on high alert.
- Guru Ram Dass International Airport Director Manoj Chansoria said the arrival and departure of all civil flights from Amritsar International Airport has been suspended.
- Nine airports, including the ones in Srinagar and Jammu, were closed on Wednesday for civilian air traffic.
- Airports at Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Pathankot, Amritsar, Shimla, Kangra, Kullu Manali, Pithoragarh were among those closed.
- In Srinagar, an official of the Airports Authority of India told news agency PTI, "The civilian air traffic has been suspended temporarily in view of the emergency". While the official did not specify the nature of the emergency, it is believed the step was taken in view of an IAF jet crashing in Budgam district this morning.
- Officials said they received instructions from air traffic controllers that the airports have been shut for civilian flights.
- Some of the flights en route to Jammu, Leh and Srinagar airports have been diverted to their origin stations.
04:39 PM IST