Operation Sindoor: Nearly 600 flights cancelled amid escalating India-Pakistan tensions

Dubai: Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan have led to the cancellation of nearly 600 flights, according to data from flight tracking service Flightradar24. The cancellations were reported after India carried out Operation Sindoor - “precision strikes” in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday morning.

As of 10.30 am UTC (2.30 pm UAE time) today, Flightradar24 logged 577 cancellations across both countries.

In India, 430 cancellations have been recorded, representing 3 per cent of scheduled flights. Pakistan has seen a higher proportion of its air traffic affected, with 147 cancellations, accounting for 17 per cent of scheduled flights.

The disruption highlights the impact of the regional situation on air travel, affecting hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers.

Images from flight tracking websites after the attack showed a long line of airlines passing over Oman, the UAE, and Kuwait, raising the possibility of airspace congestion.

According to Indian media, over 200 flights have been cancelled, and at least 18 airports in northern and western India have been shut temporarily after airspace restrictions were imposed on Wednesday morning.

Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and some foreign carriers have cancelled services to and from multiple airports. IndiGo alone has cancelled over 165 flights.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), India’s busiest, has seen at least 35 flight cancellations since midnight.