Sheikh ul Alam International Airport — Srinagar, India

Ringed by the peaks of the Himalayas and sitting near the shores of Dal Lake, SXR serves Srinagar, the largest city in the Kashmir Valley and a historic center of Kashmiri culture, craft, and trade. The airport takes its name from Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani, revered locally as Sheikh-ul-Alam, a fourteenth-century Sufi saint whose shrine remains an important pilgrimage site in the region. Srinagar's houseboats, Mughal-era gardens, and saffron fields have long drawn travelers to the valley, and the airport provides the primary air link connecting this mountain-ringed city to the rest of the Indian subcontinent. Elevation and surrounding terrain make weather a persistent factor in flight operations, with winter fog and snow occasionally causing delays during the colder months. The valley's temperate climate, a notable contrast to the plains further south, has made Srinagar a traditional summer retreat, and the airport remains the fastest way to reach this Himalayan setting.