Mumbai/New Delhi: The cold desert is getting too hot for flights to operate, in perhaps the most stark sign of global warming. Since Saturday, flight operations at Leh, India’s highest commercial airport, have been affected as IndiGo and SpiceJet have been forced to cancel a dozen flights scheduled around noon as day-time temperatures soared to 36 degrees Celsius, rendering the high-altitude air too thin for safe aircraft operations.
“This is probably the first time that airline flights have been cancelled because of high temperatures. Last year, the temperature was not so high as to affect flights,” said an official from Leh airport, requesting anonymity. He added that most of the flights cancelled since Saturday were Delhi-bound.
Leh sees some 15-16 aircraft arrivals and as many departures daily. Saturday saw two flight cancellations, followed by four on Sunday with as many as six cancelled on Monday.
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