The Leh airport was closed for operations on May 16 after its runway was blocked by an unserviceable C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force in the morning, leading to diversions and cancellations of several flights.
IAF officials said that technical teams were on the runway looking into the issue, adding that civil flight operations could resume normally on Wednesday. “The issue with the aircraft is such that it could not be moved from the runway. Normal operations can be resumed on Wednesday,” one official said.
Leh is an important defence airport, which is close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. Due to the high altitude of its location, civilian flights operate only in the daytime, from morning till afternoon.
During the day, Leh Airport said on Twitter, “Due to some avoidable circumstances, today almost all flights were cancelled from IXL. Concerned agencies are continuously working on it to rectify the aforesaid circumstance and to make flights operational by tomorrow as per schedule. Further updates will be shared.”
Several passengers also took to Twitter to complain about flight diversions and the inconvenience caused due to non-availability of information.
The C-17 Globemasters are strategic airlifters, which can carry up to 70 tonnes of cargo. The IAF operates 11 of these aircraft, procured from Boeing.
