Ahmedabad: Around 40 tourists from Gujarat who had gone to Jammu & Kashmir arrived back in the state on Thursday night, cutting short their trip in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. On Thursday morning, the Gujarat government received information about 194 such tourists and quickly devised an evacuation plan. However, only 40 tourists wished to return, and arrangements were made for them on scheduled flights.

The Chief Minister’s Office issued urgent instructions to the Department of Relief and GUJSAIL to make evacuation arrangements. GUJSAIL contacted various airlines, including Indigo, SpiceJet, and Star Air, to request quotes for charter flights. However, after consulting with the tourists, it was found that most of them were either continuing their pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi and Katra or choosing to stay in Kashmir.

Subhash Savaliya, Director of the Department of Relief, explained, “Only 40 tourists agreed to return immediately.” As a result, instead of chartered flights, they were booked on scheduled flights from Srinagar to Ahmedabad, arriving late Thursday night.

Meanwhile, the closure of Pakistan’s airspace to Indian flights is expected to cause delays, particularly for routes to the UK, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Airlines have urged passengers to check their websites for updates, as several flights may face delays or cancellations. In response, Air India and Akasa Air have waived cancellation fees for Srinagar flights booked between April 22 and May 7. DeshGujarat