Indian airlines have informed the insurers including New India Assurance, Tata AIG General Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance that they are going by the advise of the Indian government and no aircrafts have been parked in any of the airports around Indo-Pak boarder area
London/Mumbai:Hectic parleys between London markets, Indian insurers and Indian airlines have started to take stock of the situation in the wake of Indian armed forces launching missile attacks on terror targets in Pakistan on Wednesday morning, though no cancellation of existing policies or change of policy clauses of any airlines have happened yet.
In retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces, under Operation Sindoor, on early Wednesday, carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke.
London market sources said they are keeping a watch over the situation and currently it seems to be under control and doesn’t warrant any cancellation of existing policies of any airlines.
On Wednesday, more than 300 flights have been cancelled and at least 25 airports, including Srinagar, have been temporarily shut for operations amid restrictions for next couple of days which will further be extended..
Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and a few foreign airlines have cancelled their services to and from various airports.
Indian airlines have informed the insurers including New India Assurance, Tata AIG General Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance that they are going by the advise of the Indian government and no aircrafts have been parked in any of the airports around Indo-Pak boarder area.
Various Indian airlines undertake more than 2000 flights every day and cancelling 200-300 flights is not a major development for the insurers.
In Aviation insurance, claims out of war are admissible except war with any of the five great countries-US, UK, China, France and Russia while in Marine insurance war related claims are not admissible.
Sources said that at least 25 airports in the northern and western parts of the country have been temporarily shut.
These airports include Srinagar, Leh, Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Shimla, Dharamshala and Jamnagar, they added.
IndiGo said it has cancelled more than 165 flights from various domestic airports, including Amritsar and Srinagar, till early morning of May 10 due to airspace restrictions.
The sources said that around 140 flights of Air India Group — Air India and Air India Express — have been cancelled.
“Air India flights to and from the following stations, Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot, are being cancelled till 0529 hrs IST on 10 May following a notification from aviation authorities on the closure of these airports,” the airline said.
In a post on X, the airline also said passengers holding valid tickets for travel during this period will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges or a full refund for cancellations.
“Due to government notification on airspace restrictions, over 165 IndiGo flights from multiple airports (Amritsar, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Gwalior, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Leh, Rajkot, and Srinagar) are cancelled until 0529 hrs. IST of 10 May 2025,” IndiGo said in a statement.
The airline also said that passengers whose flights are affected can reschedule the booking on the next available flight or opt to cancel their bookings at no additional cost, and a full refund will be processed.
IndiGo operates around 2,200 flights daily.
In an update on X, SpiceJet said that due to the ongoing situation, flights to and from Leh, Srinagar, Jammu, Dharamshala, Kandla and Amritsar are cancelled till 0529 hours of May 10.
The affected passengers can opt for a full refund or an alternate flight as per availability, it added.
Around 140 flights to and from the Delhi airport were cancelled by various airlines including foreign carriers on Wednesday.
As many as 65 arrivals and 66 departures were cancelled. Besides, 2 international departures and 2 international arrivals were cancelled during the day, one of the sources said.
“Due to changing airspace conditions some flights have been impacted. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates and alternate travel arrangements.
“We are working closely with airlines and Air Traffic Control (ATC) to minimise any disruptions to flight schedules,” DIAL said in a post on X.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
“Due to notification from the airport authorities, flights to and from Amritsar, Gwalior, Jammu, Srinagar and Hindon are cancelled till 05.30 hrs on 10th May 2025,” Air India Express said in a post on X.
Akasa Air, in a post on X, said that due to the prevailing situation in the region, all its flights to and from Srinagar have been cancelled until May 9.
As per data available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, United Airlines cancelled its flight from Newark to Delhi while American Airlines cancelled its flight from New York to Delhi.
Regional carrier Star Air said its flights to/from Nanded, Hindon, Adampur, Kishangarh and Bhuj stand cancelled for the day.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways, in a post on X, said it has temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan due to Pakistani airspace closure.
India on Wednesday closed about 25 flight routes that allow planes to enter Pakistan through the Indian airspace on a day when the armed forces launched missile attacks on terror targets in Pakistan, according to officials.