IAF takes control of Chandigarh airport, all civilian flights cancelled for now

The move came after India launched missile strikes on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as part of “Operation Sindoor” in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

Chandigarh International Airport Ltd (CHIAL) chief executive officer (CEO) Ajay Kumar confirmed that the Air Force has assumed full control over the airport and all domestic and international flights remain suspended until further orders.

To be sure, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages the civil terminal in coordination with the Punjab and Haryana governments while the runway operations and air traffic control are overseen by the Chandigarh Air Force Station, which also determines operational hours for commercial flights.

The Chandigarh airport caters to several major routes, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Leh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Patna, Pune, and Srinagar, besides two international flights —to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and sees a daily footfall of approximately 10,000 passengers.

On Wednesday morning, several passengers, who had arrived for early morning flights, were stopped at the entrance itself and turned back. Many were seen making frantic calls, sitting on pavements, or scrolling through their phones to find alternative arrangements.

A couple from Hyderabad, traveling with two children, was among the many distressed travellers. The family was returning from a vacation in Manali and was to board a flight to Hyderabad in the morning.