Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, May 13: After a six-day suspension, the flight operations at Srinagar International Airport resumed on Tuesday with the arrival of Air India’s flight from New Delhi, marking the formal restart of air traffic to and from the Valley.
A senior official at the airport told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that Air India’s service from Delhi was the first to land this morning. “This marks the official resumption of flight operations that had remained suspended due to the prevailing security situation,” the official said.
He said the airport saw a total of four arrivals and four departures, facilitating the travel of 935 passengers on the first day of resumed operations.
Earlier, flight operations across 32 airports, including Srinagar, had been temporarily suspended following India’s launch of Operation Sindoor—a military response targeting terror camps in Pakistan after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
The airlines, both IndiGo and SpiceJet, also announced that flights on the affected routes, including Srinagar, would be progressively restored starting May 14 (tomorrow).
“Scheduled operations to and from Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, and Rajkot will resume gradually from tomorrow,” a statement from IndiGo said, advising passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
SpiceJet also resumed its scheduled flights to Srinagar today. The airline’s first service, SG 9835, departed from Delhi at 2:30 PM, while the return flight from Srinagar was scheduled for 4:30 PM.
SpiceJet further announced that Haj 2025 operations from Srinagar would begin on May 14, with two wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft transporting pilgrims to Medina. “Each aircraft will carry 324 pilgrims, and the airline is facilitating the travel of approximately 15,500 Haj pilgrims this year,” the airline’s spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the resumption of flights brought relief to stranded passengers and their families in the Valley.
“I had to attend a medical appointment in Delhi, but my flight got cancelled last week. I am happy things are returning to normal,” said Saqib Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar, who was seen at the airport with his boarding pass.
Another local said he was stuck in Amritsar for days. “We were very worried, but now I am going back home tomorrow. I am happy that flights are finally resuming,” he said.
Notably, airport authorities have advised all travellers to remain updated through airline websites or official social media channels due to the evolving flight schedules.
Officials also said that coordination is being maintained with airlines and security agencies to ensure that all resumed operations are smooth, secure, and uninterrupted in the coming days—(KNO)
