The Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, or Leh Airport, is a domestic airport in the mountains. And due to this, there is a presence of wind in the afternoon, so all flights land and take off in the morning. However, on Tuesday, an incident took place at the airport after an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft broke down in the morning.
Leh Airport Remains Shut Due To IAF Aircraft
#DiversionUpdate: Flight UK601 from Delhi to Leh (DEL-IXL) is returning back to Delhi airport (DEL) due to runway restriction at Leh and is expected to arrive in Delhi at 10:00 AM. Please stay tuned for further updates.
— Vistara (@airvistara) May 16, 2023
The C-17 Globemaster of the Indian Air Force encountered technical issues on the runway. It assists with the deployment of personnel and equipment to advanced posts in the Ladakh area, making it a significant load carrier for the Indian armed forces. The movement of forces during the border standoff with China in 2020 was greatly assisted by the aircraft. This forced the closure of the Leh Airport in Ladakh on Tuesday. Many planes were diverted, and numerous people were left stranded at the airport as a result of the delays or cancellations.
Flight disruptions affected customers of airlines including Vistara, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and others. Due to the runway closure, Vistara informed its clients that their flight from Delhi this morning had been rerouted. As per a report by Hindustan Times, the technical issue was not a serious one and would be fixed.
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In fact, the runway would be operational by tomorrow.
Stranded Passengers Blasted The Airport
@DGCAIndia @PMOIndia Passengers are stranded at Leh airport. @AAI_Official Kindly give permission to fly few additional flights to and from Leh airport on Wednesday and request to @IndiGo6E to fly additional flight on Wed.
— Mayuresh (@mdmukadam) May 16, 2023
Passengers were disgruntled due to this incident and took to Twitter to express their disappointment. One of the passengers flying from Mumbai stated that their flight was forced to land in Chandigarh instead of Leh. Moreover, they were flown back to Mumbai!
Another passenger requested the AAI (Airport Authority India) to add a few extra flights as passengers are stranded at the airport. Several other flights were diverted mostly to Chandigarh and Srinagar, while others were flown back to Mumbai and Delhi.
The Leh Airport is an important base for the Indian Air Force due to its geographical location. In fact, they are responsible for airport security.
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Well, it doesn’t seem like the issue will be solved till tomorrow. And there is no option of travelling as all flights are cancelled.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia
First Published: May 16, 2023 6:33 PM