Republic Day Closure: Delhi Airport to Disrupt Flights for 6 Days

(DELHI, INDIA) — If you’re flying into, out of, or connecting through delhi next week, expect schedule changes: indira gandhi international airport will see a daily airspace closure for nearly 2.5 hours tied to Republic Day preparations, a disruption window that can quickly snowball into missed connections and canceled flights.

India’s busiest airport will have its airspace closed each day from 10:20 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.—a 145-minute block—from January 21 through January 26, 2026. The closure supports Republic Day rehearsals, the dress rehearsal, and the parade activities centered on Kartavya Path, including security for flypast aircraft and VIP movements.

For travelers, the practical impact is simple. Midday flights are most at risk, and knock-on delays can hit the rest of the day. That’s especially true in late January, when Delhi’s winter fog already compresses the usable arrival and departure windows.

A regulatory heads-up, but a tight runway for airlines

The airspace restriction was published via a NOTAM issued Tuesday, January 13, 2026, giving airlines eight days to adjust schedules. That sounds like a cushion, but it lands during a busy winter period.

Delhi is a major mid-morning connecting bank for:

• Domestic flights feeding long-haul departures.
• Europe-bound traffic that relies on tight connection times.
• Regional international flights that turn quickly.

In practice, airlines will try to retime departures around the closure. Some will pad block times. Others will consolidate frequencies. When gates and crews are out of position, cancellations become more likely.

More than 600 daily flights in the blast radius

aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates over 600 flights per day will be affected. That figure includes flights scheduled during the closure and those that get pushed into an already crowded afternoon arrival rush.

The disruption won’t be limited to a single carrier. Indira Gandhi International Airport is a hub and focus city for multiple airlines, and it also handles heavy long-haul traffic for foreign carriers. Even if your flight is not scheduled at 11 a.m., it can still be hit by aircraft and crew rotations unraveling earlier in the day.

Winter fog adds another layer of risk. On low-visibility mornings, departures can stack up, and the 10:20 a.m. closure can lock in delays. When the airspace reopens at 12:45 p.m., everyone wants the same departure slots at the same time.

Ripple effects: reroutes and outstation delays

Airspace restrictions around Delhi don’t stay “local.” When traffic is rerouted, arrival flows change, alternates get used more often, and downstream airports see late inbound aircraft.

International services highlighted as facing disruptions include flights linking Delhi with:

• Toronto
• Washington
• Tashkent
• Kathmandu
• Colombo

Even if your journey starts elsewhere, a Delhi delay can follow your aircraft to the next city. That can mean late departures from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, or Kolkata if the same plane is cycling through Delhi.

What this means for miles, points, and elite status

Delays are annoying, but frequent flyers should think about the loyalty angle too.

If you’re crediting flights to a program that awards based on distance or segments, cancellations and reaccommodations can change what posts. A same-day reroute via another city may:

• Increase distance flown, or reduce it, depending on routing.
• Shift you to a partner flight number with different earning rates.
• Move you into a different fare bucket, especially after involuntary rebooking.

If you’re chasing status, keep your documentation. In India, many carriers will rebook you into the next available class, but your elite-qualifying credits can depend on the final ticketed flight numbers. Save your boarding passes, and check your account after travel.

For points redemptions, watch for schedule changes. When an airline adjusts times after ticketing, you often gain flexibility to change flights without a fee, even on awards. That can be valuable if you need a safer connection.

Competitive context matters here. In the U.S. and Europe, major airports rarely close their airspace midday for multiple days. India’s Republic Day is different. It’s a national event with intense security requirements, and Delhi sits at the center of it.

Security posture increases around Republic Day

The disruption is not only about air traffic. Delhi Police are also rolling out enhanced measures, including the Eyes and Ears Scheme, which engages residential groups, market associations, hotels, vendors, and airport staff.

This is an annual protocol in the run-up to January 26, and it tends to bring heavier screening and tighter perimeter controls. That can mean longer curbside and terminal processing times, even if your flight is on schedule.

What passengers should do now

If you have a DEL flight scheduled between 10:20 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. from Jan. 21–26, treat it as a red flag. The smart move is to get ahead of it.

• Check your itinerary timing and aircraft routing in your airline app.
• Update your booking with an email and phone number for alerts.
• Call or message your airline now to discuss options if you’re inside the closure window.
• Add connection buffer time, especially for international-to-domestic transfers.
• If you haven’t booked yet, consider flights outside the closure window, even if they cost more.

Airlines typically offer rebooking, alternate flights, or refunds after a NOTAM-driven schedule change. Those options are usually best before seats vanish on the surrounding flights.

The most important date to watch is January 21, when the six-day pattern begins. If you can move a vulnerable midday departure to early morning or mid-afternoon before then, you’ll avoid the tightest bottleneck of the Republic Day week.