Airport authorities here on Saturday withdrew the decision to close the facility twice weekly for three months for civilian use to undertake repairs, offering partial respite to the struggling tourism industry.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday complained that the order, which was enforced from July 1 and was supposed to stay in force till September 30, was beginning to impact the already-struggling tourism sector in the Valley.
The airport authorities had additionally proposed “a total closure of runway operations” for a fortnight from October 1 to 16, and there were indications that there was no change in that plan.
The airport, in an operations update, informed passengers on Saturday that "there will be no full airfield closure at Srinagar Airport this year”.
“Airport operations will continue on all days with operational/watch hours from 0800 hrs to 1700 hrs. Night closures for runway maintenance will continue until October 2026,” the post said. The airport clarified that it was withdrawing the previously proposed NOTAM (notice to airmen) regarding full runway closure on Mondays and Tuesdays.
"Airlines will continue to update their schedules in accordance with the prevailing operational timings. Passengers are requested to check their flight status with their respective airlines before proceeding to the airport and rely only on official channels for authentic updates," it said.
The airport did not clarify whether its proposal to shut the airport for 15 days in October remains.
Omar welcomed the order but indicated that there was no change in the proposal to keep the airport closed for 15 days in October. “Our effort will be that when the airport is shut in October (for 15 days), we should get some alternative flights at Awantipora (Airforce) airport,” he told reporters here.
He said he had personally taken up the proposed closure with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh and civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu. "This order for Mondays and Tuesdays (closure) had started taking a toll. Yesterday, I spoke to some tourism players. A number of their trips were getting cancelled,” he said.
