Civil Aviation Ministry arranges additional flights for tourists from Kashmir after Pahalgam attack

NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday stated that it has arranged four additional flights from Kashmir – two each to Delhi and Mumbai – on Wednesday for the safe transfer of tourists from the region following the gruesome terrorist attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam yesterday.

According to a statement from the office of Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Naidu spoke with Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the current travel situation from the valley to facilitate additional flights from Srinagar.

The statement further stated that the ministry is monitoring the situation continuously and is coordinating with airlines to ensure airfares remain stable and do not increase due to the prevailing conditions in the region. The Ministry noted that more flights will be added based on the situation.

This move comes in the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which ran shockwaves across the country. This has been one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The government, however, has yet to confirm the number of casualties in the attack officially.

Meanwhile, political parties as well as traders’ unions in the region have collectively called for a complete shutdown in the Kashmir valley today to show solidarity with the victims’ families and to condemn the attack.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid his tributes to the victims by laying a wreath at a poignant ceremony outside the Police Control Room in Srinagar.

#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah pays tributes to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, in Srinagar, J&K pic.twitter.com/tPRSj4ewUg

— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2025

Security forces have also launched search operations to track down the terrorists responsible for the attack, as security has been beefed up since the attack, with visuals from the area showing the streets being deserted in the usually bustling tourist area. Many organisations have also called for a Jammu bandh following the attack.

The incident, which targeted tourists in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district, sparked widespread outrage across the country. Several political leaders condemned the attack.

Residents of Jammu and Kashmir turned up for a candlelight march at several places in the state against the Pahalgam terror attack that took place on Tuesday.

Locals in Baramulla, Srinagar, Poonch and Kupwara held a candlelight march, while Bajrang Dal workers in Jammu held a protest against the terror attack.

Locals in the Khod village of the Akhoor area of the territory also held a candlelight march protest against the Pahalgam terror attack.
The government has yet to confirm the number of casualties in the incident. (ANI)