India, May 10 -- The Union government has extended the temporary closure of 24 airports in northern and western parts of the country for civil aircraft operations by four days till May 15, according to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued on Friday, with the development coming amid major escalation in tension with Pakistan over the past few days.

The notice issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the airports would remain closed until 5.29 am on May 15. Earlier, these 24 airports, which are either located close to Pakistan borders or are situated near key defence bases, were closed for civilian flights till May 10.

The affected airports, according to the NOTAM, are Srinagar and Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir; Leh in Ladakh; Amritsar...