Leh Flights Cancelled As Heatwave Impacts High-Altitude Airport

Leh flights cancelled due to high temperatures. Leh, India with an airport up in the mountains is experiencing a challenge. The region, typically known for its cold desert climate, experiences unusually high daytime temperatures implying a “Leh heatwave alert”.

This unexpected rise in temperature is significantly impacting flight operations. The sudden shift in weather patterns is causing considerable disruptions to air travel, affecting both arrivals and departures at the airport.

Leh’s Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport being one of the highest airports makes flying tricky(air is thin at high altitudes) and the recent heat has made it even thinner. This means plane engines have to work extra hard to fly safely. Sometimes, it is just too dangerous to fly in these conditions.

Leh Heatwave Alert Details!

Since Saturday, many Leh flights cancelled because of the shift in temperature reaching 36 degrees Celsius. This heat makes the air too thin for planes to fly safely at this high-altitude airport. This is a worrying sign of how global warming is affecting things.

Leh is normally much cooler, with temperatures usually around 29.5 degrees Celsius. But on Saturday, Leh witnessed 32.5 degrees, and on Sunday 33.5 degrees. This is very unusual for a region like Leh, which is 11,000 feet high and known for being very cold. In winter, it can get as cold as -20 degrees Celsius.

According to airport officials, this is probably the first time Leh flights cancelled because of high temperatures. Usually, Leh has about 15-16 flights arriving and departing daily. But recently, 2 flights were cancelled on Saturday, 4 on Sunday, and 6 on Monday.