Flights to Leh airport suspended for third day in a row


Flight operations to Leh will remain suspended until at least 7 am of August 28 after the airport issued a revised NOTAM citing mud accumulation on the runway and multiple taxiways due to heavy rainfall. The extended closure marks the third straight day of flight disruptions at the high-altitude airport.

The NOTAM, valid until 7am IST of August 28, requires airlines to obtain positive clearance from their departure station before dispatching flights to Leh. Cleaning of the runway and taxiways will only be undertaken once rains stop. The NOTAM will be withdrawn if the runway is cleared earlier.

The suspension has left hundreds of passengers stranded and forced many of them to reschedule travel plans. On August 25, several flights to Leh had to be cancelled at the last minute or were diverted to Delhi, Chandigarh and Amritsar airports after nearly completing their journey.

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The disruption comes amid the busy travel season for Ladakh, when the region sees a surge in domestic and international tourist arrivals. With road connectivity hampered due to a cloudbursts and heavy rains, the high-altitude region remains largely cut off from the rest of the country, leaving both locals and tourists stranded with limited options.

Meanwhile, Air India issued a travel advisory on August 27 due to adverse weather conditions, which caused the closure of Leh Airport’s runway and resulted in flight cancellations on August 27.

Air India shared a post on X which read, “Due to adverse weather conditions, the runway at Leh Airport is currently closed, impacting flight operations. Consequently, our scheduled flights to and from Leh on 27 August stand cancelled.”





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