Operation Sindoor Grounds Flights at Biju Patnaik Airport

Two flights from Biju Patnaik International Airport were cancelled on Thursday, a decision prompted by ongoing national security operations and technical difficulties.

This comes as part of a wider shutdown affecting around 27 airports across India. The closures follow Operation Sindoor, in which armed forces conducted strikes on terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a response to the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives last month.

The flights affected include routes to Hindon in Ghaziabad and a Chandigarh flight via Patna. While airspace restrictions in northern and western India were cited as a reason for one cancellation, the other cancellation was attributed to unresolved operational issues, according to BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan.

(With inputs from agencies.)