Air India on Thursday issued an advisory urging passengers to arrive at airports at least three hours prior to their scheduled flights, after hostilities between India and Pakistan increased.
Sharing the news on social media site X, the state carrier quoted a notice released by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, which announced strengthened security procedures at Indian airports. "Travelers all over India are asked to report at least three hours before departure schedule to their concerned airports to have hassle-free check-in and boarding," Air India tweeted.
The airline also reminded passengers that "check-in closes 75 minutes before departure."
The warning follows several aerial strikes conducted by Pakistan, claimed to be targeting military installations in Jammu and India's western border. The threats, which comprised drones and missiles, were intercepted by Indian air defence. The failed attacks caused blackouts and warning alarms in various regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan, prompting the local authorities to urge citizens to remain indoors and be on guard as emergency procedures were implemented.
India is said to have retaliated with countermeasures, as the situation remains to escalate.
Due to these advancements, domestic aviation has suffered. On Thursday alone, 430 flights were grounded — about 3% of the country's total scheduled flights — because of the temporary shut-down of 27 airports. Impacted airports are those located in Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Pathankot, and others in the northern and western parts of the country.
As tensions escalate, the number of airports suspended has increased further. The day before, 21 airports' operations had already been suspended, and over 300 flights were cancelled.
Air India admitted to the disruption in a subsequent posting, saying its customer service call centres were facing high call rates because of the crisis. Air India also extended thanks to India's defence force, saying that it is "grateful for the selfless service and commitment of our defense and military men.
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