New Delhi: On Monday, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued updated Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), announcing that 32 airports in northern and western India—previously closed due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan—will reopen for regular passenger flights. These airports had been temporarily shut down after the conflict escalated, with both sides involved in drone strikes, missile activity, and use of long-range weapons, raising serious concerns of a full-blown war.
A PIB release issued on Monday afternoon read, “Temporary closure of 32 Airports for civil Aircraft operations till 05:29 hrs of 15 May 2025 has been lifted. These Airports are now available for civil Aircraft operations with immediate effect. Travellers are advised to check flight status directly with the Airlines and monitor Airline’s websites for regular updates.”
A separate notice also confirmed that all 25 international flight routes are now open again.
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Reopening of 32 Indian airport begins
Officials from AAI, the body responsible for issuing such notices, said the reopening process is underway. A NOTAM is an official message sent to pilots and airline operators to inform them about changes in flight routes or airport operations. One of the new NOTAMs mentioned that several airports under the Mumbai Flight Information Region—like Bhuj, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Kandla, Mundra, and Keshod—have already resumed operations.
Another NOTAM listed several more airports across the north that are now preparing to restart services. These include airports in Srinagar, Jammu, Hindon, Sarsawa, Uttarlai, Awantipur, Ambala, Kullu, Ludhiana, Kishangarh, Patiala, Shimla, Kangra, Bathinda, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Halwara, Pathankot, Leh, and Chandigarh. Hindustan Times reviewed the official notices.
Full list of 32 airports
- Adampur
- Ambala
- Amritsar
- Awantipur
- Bathinda
- Bhuj
- Bikaner
- Chandigarh
- Halwara
- Hindon
- Jaisalmer
- Jammu
- Jamnagar
- Jodhpur
- Kandla
- Kangra (Gaggal)
- Keshod
- Kishangarh
- Kullu Manali (Bhuntar)
- Leh
- Ludhiana
- Mundra
- Naliya
- Pathankot
- Patiala
- Porbandar
- Rajkot (Hirasar)
- Sarsawa
- Shimla
- Srinagar
- Thoise
- Uttarlai
Airports reopening in stages
An AAI official explained that the process of reopening is being done in stages and updates will be shared soon. However, he added that while airports may reopen quickly, it’s up to the airlines to restart their flights. “Airports can be made operational fast, but airline scheduling takes time,” he said. A second official noted that while flight paths have been made available again, it will still take a few hours before regular airline services resume.
The decision to start reopening the airports and air routes came after the Indian Air Force reported a peaceful night along the border areas. “There were no signs of activity overnight in Jammu and Kashmir or other places along the border. It was the first calm night in many days,” the IAF said in its statement early Monday.
The airports were originally shut down after the Indian Air Force carried out precise strikes on nine terror sites located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7. These attacks, part of ‘Operation Sindoor,’ were in response to a deadly terrorist attack that took place on April 22 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
