Srinagar, Jan 23: All scheduled flights at the Srinagar International Airport were cancelled on Friday as the plains in Kashmir experienced a moderate to heavy snowfall.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director, Srinagar Airport, Javed Anjum said 26 arrivals and departures were cancelled, owing to poor visibility and accumulation of snow on the runway.
ìDue to adverse weather conditions and snowfall in Srinagar, the runway is currently not available for safe aircraft operations. In the interest of passenger safety, all flight operations to and from Srinagar have been cancelled for the day,î he said.
Anjum said that, besides the cancellations caused by the snowfall, four flights were cancelled due to Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs) at the Delhi Airport.
He said that a few flights had been getting cancelled during the last few days due to the NOTAM or operational reasons at the Delhi Airport.
The Airport Director said airline and airport authorities were closely monitoring the weather situation and would resume operations as soon as conditions improve and the runway is declared operational.
ìPassengers are advised to check the latest flight status with their respective airlines and stay updated through official communication channels. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate passengersí understanding and cooperation,î he said.
Commenting on the flight operations for Saturday, Anjum said 27 flights were scheduled to operate to Srinagar, besides one additional flight scheduled by Air India.
ìWe have the men and machinery ready, as the Meteorological Department has predicted snowfall on Friday night. The final call on flight operations for Saturday will be taken in the morning,î Anjum said.
The flight cancellation on Friday comes after almost a month of smooth flight operations. Operational disruptions due to issues in the crew roster of low-cost carrier IndiGo saw 125 flight cancellations at the Srinagar and Jammu airports during December 2025.
While the IndiGo flight cancellations were at peak, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had conducted a dry run, putting all the men and machinery to use for ensuring that flight operations remain smooth during the winter.
Prior to this, the Director Srinagar Airport had said that the runway at the airport had been upgraded so that flight operations could take place in low visibility.
On Friday, airport officials said that all arriving and departing scheduled flights for the day were cancelled due to poor visibility and in view of the safety of passengers.
This included services operated by Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air being grounded for the day on Friday.
Most parts of Kashmir received fresh snowfall overnight, including the seasonís first snowfall in Srinagar, many parts of which were also lashed by rain.
Central Kashmirís Budgam district and south Kashmirís Pulwama and Shopian districts received abundant snow.
Meanwhile, seven flights were cancelled at the Jammu Airport due to inclement weather conditions in Srinagar, said an airport official.
Besides, five flights were delayed causing a huge rush of passengers at the Jammu Airport.
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