Srinagar: Amid rising tension between armies of India and Pakistan, airports of Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jammu, Srinagar and Leh have been shut down till May. Commercial flights to those cities have been put on hold.
An official of the Airport Authority of India while speaking to PTI stated that “The civilian air traffic has been suspended temporarily in view of the emergency.”
The official did not specify the nature of the emergency but it is believed the step was taken in view of an IAF jet crashing in Budgam district this morning.
#TravelUpdate. Due to airspace restrictions, flights to and from Amritsar, Srinagar, Chandigarh and Jammu are currently on hold. Customers are requested to check flight status before commencing their journey to the airport. (1/2)
— Vistara (@airvistara) February 27, 2019
Mumbai police is also on high alert after inputs from intelligence, the vigilance and CCTV surveillance has been increased in places like the airport, railway stations, and other key locations.
The area has been on high alert amid warnings of retaliation after India’s fighter jets crossed the Line of Control and destroyed a vast terror camp within Pakistan in a pre-dawn strike on Tuesday. In retaliation, Pakistan violated ceasefire in a number of places along the LoC. Heavy shelling was also reported in the region.
Flight operations at Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dehradun airports have also been temporarily suspended. Security has been tightened across the country and appealed to people not to panic.