NEW DELHI: Hundreds of flyers remained stranded at Leh Airport in Ladakh for the second consecutive day as incessant rainfall led to the cancellation of all flights since Monday. The Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport was closed for operations on Tuesday due to persistent bad weather.
A SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Leh was forced to return to the capital on Monday after being unable to land. On Tuesday, a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) was issued by the Centre for Air Traffic Flow Management, officially cancelling all flight operations for the day. The operational status for Wednesday remains uncertain.
A stranded passenger at Leh Airport shared visuals with this reporter and said, “We are stuck at the airport. It’s total chaos here. The bad weather and continuous rain have disrupted all flight schedules.”
SpiceJet operates three daily flights between Delhi and Leh. All three—SG 8179, SG 127 and SG 125—were cancelled on Monday. One of them, SG 8179, departed from Delhi at 6 a.m. and approached Leh airport 90 minutes later, but was denied permission to land due to adverse weather and was forced to return to Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Air India, which operates three regular and one Army-chartered flight to Leh, also cancelled its services on both Monday and Tuesday. Flights AI 2479 (return AI 2480), AI 2452 (2453), and AI 445 via Chandigarh were among those affected, as was the Army-chartered flight via Jammu.
IndiGo, which runs seven flights to Leh from Mumbai and Delhi daily, cancelled all of them as well. Although the airline did not release full details, an official post on X by the Leh Airport handle confirmed cancellations of the following IndiGo flights: 6E 2993 (6E 2994), 6E 2583 (6E 9251), 6E 8821 (6E 6822), 6E 2049 (6E 2015), 6E 802 (6E 648), and 6E 2101 (6E 2402).
Stranded passengers were given the option of either a full refund or complimentary rescheduling of their journey. Sources said food and accommodation were arranged for those already at the airport.
Located at an altitude of 3,256 metres above sea level, Leh Airport is the 23rd highest commercial airport in the world. As a crucial gateway to the popular tourist region of Ladakh, its operations are heavily dependent on weather conditions.