Operation Sindoor: Security level at all Indian airports raised, additional pre-boarding security checks for all passengers ordered

Additionally, full aircraft and catering security checks have been ordered. Aviation installations have also been directed to ensure that all CCTV cameras are fully functional, and have been asked to increase the number of personnel guarding aircraft. State police and state special forces will also be deployed to bolster airports’ peripheral security.

Checking of vehicles and persons at terminals and airport parking areas will also be stepped up significantly. Airports have been directed to activate quick response teams and keep bomb detection and disposal squads on high alert. Strict monitoring of non-scheduled flights—essentially civilian flights not operated by airlines—has also been ordered, in addition to enhanced surveillance at cargo and general aviation terminals.

“In view of the recent attack in Pahalgam and subsequent surcharged security scenario, it is necessary to enhance security measures at all civil aviation installations like airports, airstrips, airfields, air force stations, helipads, flying schools, aviation training institutes, etc so that no untoward incident takes place in the country. Accordingly, utmost precautions need to be taken by all stake holder,” the BCAS order stated.

In view of the BCAS order, Tata group airline Air India issued a travel advisory to passengers, asking them to arrive at airports at least three hours before their flight’s scheduled departure.

“In view of an order by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security on enhanced measures at airports, passengers across India are advised to arrive at their respective airports at least three hours prior to scheduled departure to ensure smooth check-in and boarding. Check-in closes 75 mins before departure,” Air India posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

India has already suspended commercial flight operations at around 25 airports, mainly those close to the India-Pakistan border or housed at key Indian Air Force bases. In most cases, the airports are expected to be closed for commercial operations till around 05:30 AM Saturday (May 10), and the Indian carriers have announced cancellation of all flights to such airports at least till then. They are, however, expected to be fully operational for defence flights.

The affected airports include Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Rajkot, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Dharamshala, Bathinda, Shimla, Kishangarh, Porbandar, Mundra, and Kandla. A majority of these airports are located at defence airfields, with some seeing only a handful commercial flights a day. Flight tracking data also showed hardly any civilian aircraft activity north of Delhi and in much of Rajasthan and Gujarat, where some of the sensitive airports close to the India-Pakistan border and key Indian Air Force stations are located.

The closure of these airports for regular flight operations is leading to cancellation of over 400 flights a day, industry sources indicated. Over 165 flights a day of the country’s largest airline IndiGo alone are getting cancelled due to these airport closures.