New Delhi: Over 200 flights were cancelled and at least 18 airports — including Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar and Chandigarh — were shut temporarily on Wednesday, following missile strikes launched by Indian armed forces in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).

The Indian armed forces targeted nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including Jaish-e-Mohammad’s stronghold in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke. The offensive followed the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.

The fallout on air traffic was immediate and widespread. Flight operations were suspended across key northern and western airports, including Jammu, Pathankot, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Shimla, Dharamshala and Jamnagar, amid heightened security restrictions.

Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India Express, Akasa Air and several foreign carriers called off services to and from affected regions.

IndiGo alone cancelled around 165 flights, while a source said that 35 flights to and from Delhi — India's busiest airport — were cancelled between midnight and morning, including 23 domestic departures, eight arrivals, and four international flights. American Airlines and other global carriers also pulled back services.