Your Flight To Leh May Be Cancelled. Here's Why

An ongoing heat wave in the Himalayan region has led to around 20 flight cancellations since July 27, 2024, and things won’t get better for at least another week. In particular, Leh, which has India's highest commercial airport, has seen flight disruptions since Saturday due to high temperatures reaching 36°C, making the high-altitude air too thin for safe aircraft operations.

Here’s everything you need to know about flying to Ladakh right now.

What’s Going On?

An IndiGo spokesperson said that their flight operations to and from Leh had been impacted due to the prevailing air temperature. Domestic airlines like IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India and Vistara operate A320 and Boeing 737 planes to Leh airport. The maximum temperature at which an A320 Neo aircraft can operate is 33°C. If the temperature crosses that level then the plane cannot be operated at that elevation, a senior Airbus pilot said. According to a SpiceJet official, the maximum temperature for operating Boeing 737 planes at Leh airport is 32°C.

The Airbus pilot said the maximum temperatures are decided after taking into account various operational parameters, including the elevation of an airport and obstacles around it. Pilots are also provided special training for operating flights to Leh airport.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation were in talks with domestic airlines to reduce Leh flight cancellations, with solutions like operating smaller planes and compensation for operating at a lower capacity being discussed.

High temperatures are a rare phenomenon considering Leh’s location at 3,500m above sea level and where winter temperatures drop to -20°C. Under normal conditions, the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport sees around 15 - 16 aircraft arrivals and departures daily. In recent weeks, the temperature in the Leh area has been mostly above 30°C.

What’s Causing This?

Chetan Singh Solanki, an IIT Bombay professor, wrote in a LinkedIn post that the flight disruption in Leh was due to reduced air density in the region, which was caused by the unprecedented heat wave conditions. The technical explanation for these cancellations is that the air had become thinner or less dense, he said.

Air density refers to the concentration of air molecules within a given volume. At Leh's high altitude, the air pressure is naturally lower, which reduces air density. Additionally, the elevated temperatures contributed to a further decrease in air density. Although Leh is typically dry, any rise in temperature, even without increased humidity, causes the air to expand and thin out.

Thinner air means that aircraft engines must exert more effort to produce the necessary thrust and lift as there are fewer air molecules available for intake and combustion. This increased demand for power can surpass the aircraft's capabilities, rendering it unsafe to operate in such conditions, Solanki said.

(With inputs from multiple news sources)