India suspends flight operations of 24 airports

KABUL (Pajhwok): India has suspended flight operations at 24 airports amid rising tensions with Pakistan, according to media reports.

The country’s Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed the temporary closure late Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

The affected airports include Amritsar in Punjab and Srinagar in India-controlled Kashmir, both near the Pakistan border.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has resumed nationwide flight operations following a temporary suspension at four airports, the Civil Aviation Authority stated.

India’s major domestic airlines have advised passengers that flights from the affected airports will remain suspended until Saturday.

IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, canceled 165 flights on Wednesday. Air India and Air India Express reported a similar number of cancellations.

Due to the sudden closures, Air India diverted two international flights from Amritsar to New Delhi.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalated on Wednesday after India launched strikes on what it claimed were “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan, in retaliation for a deadly attack in Kashmir last month.

Pakistan and India have accused each other of launching drone attacks, with Pakistan’s defense minister warning that further retaliation is “increasingly certain.” Two days of intense clashes have reportedly killed nearly four dozen people.

sa