High temperature at high altitude is disrupting flight operations to and from Leh, located at nearly 10,700 feet above the mean sea level.
Domestic airlines operate A320 and B737 planes to the Leh airport and some carriers have been cancelling their scheduled flights in recent days due to high temperatures, according to industry officials.
Details about the number of Leh flights cancelled on Tuesday could not be ascertained.
“IndiGo flight operations to and from Leh have been impacted due to the prevailing high outside air temperature in Leh, which is beyond the airline’s control,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
The maximum temperature at which an A320 Neo aircraft can operate is 33 degrees Celsius. If the temperature crosses that level, then the plane cannot be operated at that elevation, a senior Airbus pilot said.
For Boeing 737 planes, the maximum temperature for operation at the Leh airport is 32 degrees Celsius, according to a SpiceJet official.
The pilot said the maximum temperatures are decided after taking into account various operational parameters, including the elevation of an airport and obstacles around it.
The Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh is at an altitude of 10,682 feet above the mean sea level.
