Pahalgam terror attack: 7 additional flights from Srinagar on Wednesday; airlines waive off cancellation, rescheduling charges; govt monitoring airfares

Initially, Air India and IndiGo had each announced two additional flights from Srinagar to Delhi and Mumbai for Wednesday, over and above their regular flight schedule from the city. Later on Wednesday afternoon, Naidu said that three additional flights were being added — two of IndiGo and one of SpiceJet.

According to Naidu, between 6 AM and 12 PM on Wednesday, Srinagar Airport handled 20 flight departures with a total of 3,337 people flying out of the city.

In the wake of the tragic terror attack, we are constantly making efforts to ensure safe travel of tourists from Srinagar. Strict instructions were given to Airline companies to avoid any fare surges, Fares are being monitored and kept at reasonable levels.

In addition to the… pic.twitter.com/jpxhvDDZl6

— Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu (@RamMNK) April 23, 2025

“In addition to the four extra flights already announced, three more flights to Delhi have been added for today—IndiGo 6E 3203 (Dep: 1700, Arr: 1800), IndiGo 6E 3103 (Dep: 1800, Arr: 1930), and a SpiceJet flight scheduled to depart at 10:30 PM. All airlines operating from Srinagar have waived cancellation and rescheduling charges to support passengers,” Naidu posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

“I’m personally monitoring the situation and in constant touch with Home Ministry & airline operators. This is a time for solidarity. We stand with every citizen and will ensure all support needed,” the minister added.

Noting the unexpected surge in demand for flights out of Srinagar, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also issued an advisory to airlines “to increase the number of flights in response to heightened demand and also ensure uninterrupted connectivity from Srinagar to various destinations across India, facilitating evacuation of stranded tourists”.

Tuesday’s terrorist attack in which armed terrorists opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam had led to calls for evacuation of tourists wanting to leave the Kashmir valley. Moreover, a large number of tourists have been stranded in the Valley for over three days as the Jammu-Srinagar national highway is closed due to damage caused by recent flash floods and landslides in the Ramban district. This, too, had led to calls from tour operators and travel agents for evacuation of stranded tourists by air.

The highway, a critical lifeline connecting the Kashmir valley to the rest of the country, is likely to be closed for a few more days for repairs. This means that flying out of Srinagar would be the only viable option for tourists looking to leave the Valley.

#TravelAdvisory

In view of the prevailing situation, Air India will operate two additional flights from Srinagar to Delhi and Mumbai on Wednesday, 23rd April.

Details of the two flights are as under:
Srinagar to Delhi – 11:30 AM
Srinagar to Mumbai – 12:00 noon
Booking for…

— Air India (@airindia) April 22, 2025

Fares for flights out of Srinagar had shot up over the past few days due to a sudden surge in demand. But in the wake of Tuesday’s terror attack, Naidu issued a “strong advisory against surge pricing” to airlines, asking them to maintain regular airfare levels on flights connecting Srinagar with the rest of India.

Flight ticketing data indicates that IndiGo operates direct flights to Srinagar from eight cities. Air India Express connects Srinagar directly to five destinations, while its parent Air India operates direct flights to Srinagar from Delhi and Mumbai. Besides these three airlines, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet also operate flights to and from Srinagar.