Leh Weather Disrupts Flights as Winter Tightens Grip

Air travel across North India faced fresh disruption on Monday as heavy snowfall in Leh forced a temporary suspension of flight operations, while dense fog conditions led to cascading delays at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The weather-led interruptions highlight growing vulnerabilities in India’s aviation and urban mobility systems as extreme winter events become more frequent and less predictable. 

At Leh’s Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, adverse weather conditions rendered the runway temporarily unusable, prompting multiple carriers to pause arrivals and departures. Aviation officials indicated that safety protocols require complete clearance of snow and acceptable visibility thresholds before operations can resume, a process that often stretches turnaround times in high-altitude airports with limited operational windows. For Ladakh, where air connectivity is a critical economic and social lifeline, even short suspensions can disrupt tourism, essential supplies, and local livelihoods.

Simultaneously, Delhi airport reported delays across several domestic and international services due to reduced visibility caused by morning fog. While the capital’s airport is equipped with advanced landing systems, sustained low-visibility conditions typically slow aircraft movement, affecting schedules across the national aviation network. Industry analysts note that delays in Delhi tend to ripple across multiple cities, given its role as India’s busiest aviation hub. The wider weather pattern reflects an intensifying winter spell across North India. Meteorological agencies have forecast intermittent snowfall and rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the coming days, alongside cold wave conditions in parts of the plains. Minimum temperatures are expected to dip further in central and eastern regions, increasing the likelihood of fog-related transport disruptions.

Urban and infrastructure experts point out that such episodes underscore the need for climate-resilient transport planning. Airports in ecologically sensitive and extreme-weather regions like Leh face structural constraints, from limited de-icing infrastructure to shorter runways, making them especially susceptible to weather volatility. At the same time, megacities such as Delhi must manage the operational strain of fog while maintaining passenger safety and efficiency. For passengers, the immediate impact has been longer wait times, rescheduled journeys and uncertainty around connections. Airlines have advised travellers to monitor flight status closely, reflecting a shift towards real-time communication as disruptions become more common.

Looking ahead, policymakers and airport operators are increasingly being pushed to reassess infrastructure preparedness from enhanced snow-clearing capacity and weather forecasting integration to better terminal design that can handle prolonged delays humanely. As climate variability reshapes seasonal norms, India’s aviation ecosystem will need coordinated investment and planning to ensure that connectivity, economic activity and passenger confidence remain resilient through increasingly challenging winters.

Leh Weather Disrupts Flights as Winter Tightens Grip