India suspends flight operations and closes 24 airports as Pakistan resumes flights nationwide

NEW DELHI (AP) — Airlines in India have suspended flight operations from two dozen airports across northern and western regions of the country amid heightened tensions with Pakistan.

India’s Civil Aviation Ministry late Thursday confirmed in a statement the temporary closure of 24 airports.

Pakistan, meanwhile, resumed flights nationwide after a suspension at four airports, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

In advisories to passengers, India's key domestic airlines said their flights would remain suspended until Saturday from airports including Amritsar in northern Punjab and Srinagar in India-controlled Kashmir, bordering Pakistan.

Indigo, the country’s biggest domestic carrier, on Wednesday canceled 165 flights, while Air India and Air India Express had a similar number of cancellations. Air India diverted two of its international flights enroute from Amritsar, close to Lahore, to New Delhi, because of the sudden closure of the airport.

India and Pakistan are teetering on the edge of a fresh military crisis after New Delhi launched missile strikes inside Pakistani territory Wednesday, targeting what it called terror training camps to avenge last month’s massacre of 26 Indian tourists in India-controlled Kashmir.

India blames Pakistan for backing the gunmen, an accusation that Islamabad denies.

Soon after the killings, the two countries swiftly moved to close their respective airspace last month, and India has shut some of its airports. The cancellation of flights has resulted in woes for passengers.

Rahul, a 32-year-old Indian businessman who goes by a single name, said his flight from Dubai to Chandigarh was canceld on Wednesday after closure of the Indian airport. The airline offered him a rescheduled flight to Delhi and then a bus ride to Chandigarh. “Its a security situation. I understand," he said.

Stranded passengers wait at an arrival area of Jinnah airport after authorities closed the airport due to India's drone attack to Pakistan, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

Stranded passengers wait at an arrival area of Jinnah airport after authorities closed the airport due to India's drone attack to Pakistan, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

Stranded passengers wait at a arrival area of Jinnah airport, which shutdown following Indian airstrikes in Pakistani areas, in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

Stranded passengers wait at an arrival area of Jinnah airport after authorities closed the airport due to India's drone attack to Pakistan, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

Policemen stand guard on a road leading to the airport in Amritsar, India, after it was closed following India firing missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill)

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent outfielder Max Kepler was suspended for 80 games on Friday following a positive test for a banned performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball's drug program.

Kepler tested positive for Epitrenbolone, a substance that led to a suspension in 2018 for boxer Manuel Charr and caused the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to announced the following year it had disqualified 90-year-old cyclist Carl Grove from a world record he had set at the 2018 Masters Track National Championship.

Epitrenbolone is a metabolite of Trenbolone, which is contained in some products used in body-building stores and had been used in products to promote cattle growth.

Kepler, who turns 33 next month, is an 11-year major league veteran, who spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies after playing his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

FILE - Philadelphia Phillies' Max Kepler during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)