Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has mounted a determined push to safeguard Jammu and Kashmir’s air connectivity ahead of the peak autumn tourism season, separately meeting Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi to raise concerns over the proposed closure of Srinagar International Airport scheduled from October 1 to 16, 2026.
The closure is part of Phase III of an ongoing runway resurfacing project being undertaken by the Indian Air Force, which has already created significant operational disruptions. Under the current plan, the runway at Srinagar Airport will remain unavailable every Monday and Tuesday from July 1 through September 30, 2026, with a complete shutdown proposed for the first fortnight of October. While the Chief Minister fully acknowledged the operational necessity of the resurfacing works and the Indian Air Force’s assessment, he flagged the critical timing of the final phase, which coincides with one of the Valley’s busiest tourist periods.
Srinagar Airport has witnessed remarkable growth over the past decade — passenger handling has surged from 2.04 million in 2014-15 to 4.47 million in 2024-25, making the airport a vital economic artery for Jammu and Kashmir. A complete runway closure during October, when autumn foliage draws tourists from across the country, risks disrupting thousands of bookings, denting the hospitality sector, and sending a damaging signal about the Valley’s accessibility at precisely the moment tourism is rebounding strongly in the post-conflict recovery environment.
Adding further context to the airport’s significance, the Airports Authority of India is set to celebrate “Yatri Suvidha Diwas” at Srinagar Airport on June 15, reaffirming a passenger-first philosophy and spotlighting a Rs 1,667-crore expansion project that will quadruple the terminal’s capacity. The expansion will allow the airport to handle 2,900 passengers during peak rush and serve one crore passengers annually — a transformational upgrade that underlines why sustained, uninterrupted connectivity is indispensable to Jammu and Kashmir’s development trajectory.
AAI Director for Srinagar Airport, Javed Anjum, has confirmed the weekly closure schedule and urged passengers to track updates through official channels rather than relying on unverified sources. The airport administration has also pointed out that existing payload limitations on aircraft due to temporary runway length restrictions have already affected operations, including the scheduling of Hajj return flights for pilgrims from the Valley.
Chief Minister Abdullah’s direct engagement with both the Defence and Civil Aviation ministries signals a calibrated, collaborative approach — he is not opposing the infrastructure upgrades, but rather seeking a rescheduling or mitigation plan that protects tourism and economic activity during a period of irreplaceable seasonal demand. The outcome of these high-level meetings is expected to determine whether the October shutdown proceeds as planned or is renegotiated to reduce its impact on air travellers, pilgrims, and the broader Kashmiri economy.
