Fact Check: No Ban on Entry to Airports in India, Confirms PIB
The claim is Misleading. While some civil airports near the Indian border have been restricted due to security reasons, operations at all other airports remain completely normal.
Claim :
Entry to airports across India has been bannedFact :
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that the government has made no such decision
As India continued to intercept missiles fired from Pakistan targeting multiple towns in Jammu on the night of May 8, 2025, the Civil Aviation Ministry notified that at least 24 airports across northern India have suspended civilian operations until further notice. As per media reports, the move comes as part of precautionary measures under Operation Sindoor, under which armed forces carried out strikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday in retaliation against the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people last month. The notice was issued after Pakistan launched a series of drone and missile attacks targeting multiple locations across Jammu, as well as parts of Punjab and Rajasthan. From late Wednesday evening, Jammu witnessed a complete blackout, with reports of citizens witnessing missile streaks in the sky. “Complete blackout in Jammu. Loud explosions, bombing, shelling, or missile strikes are suspected. Fret not Mata Vaishno Devi is with us, and so are valiant Indian Armed Forces,” said Shesh Paul Vaid, former Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, a text is going viral on social media claiming that all airports in India have been closed for travel.
A screenshot of the article is provided below.
Fact Check:
The claim is misleading. PIB has clarified that there is no restriction on entry to all airports in India.
When we investigated all airports in India regarding entry restrictions, we found no information supporting the claim. If any such restrictions had been imposed by the government, they would have been announced on official government websites or reported by mainstream media.
As part of the investigation, PIB Jammu and Kashmir stated on social media that the government has provided information about the closure of some civil airports, which are: Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Halwara, Pathankot, Bhuntar, Shimla, Gagal, Dharamsala, Kishangarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Mundra, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Kandla, Keshod, Bhuj, Gwalior, Hindon. The said notice states that the airports will remain closed till the morning of May 10.
Similarly, Door Darshan Live posted on its social media that the airports at Kishangarh, Bhuntar (Kullu), and Ludhiana have been added to the list of closed airports
The Indian government's fact-checking agency, PIB, has refuted the viral claim. In a social media post, PIB stated: 'Social media posts are claiming that entry into airports across India has been banned. This claim is false, and the government has not taken any such decision.
Business Today published an article with the title, India-Pak tensions: 27 Indian airports shut, over 430 flights cancelled as carriers avoid tense corridor
27 airports temporarily shut as India-Pakistan tensions rise published by Hindustan Times.
Hence it proves the claim is Misleading. While some civil airports near the Indian border have been restricted due to security reasons, operations at all other airports remain completely normal.
