Leh Airport was closed for operations on Tuesday after the runway was blocked by the Indian Air Force’s heavy-lifter C-17 Globemaster which was facing technical issues.
Reports suggest a minor technical glitch which is being fixed.
According to the official, the runway will be operational by tomorrow.
The non-operational runway led to flight diversions and cancellations. All flights from domestic airlines were cancelled, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Vistara.
The C-17 Globemaster is a heavy-lifter cargo plane made by the US-based Boeing Defence and can carry large equipment, supplies and troops directly to small airfields in harsh terrain anywhere in the world.
C-17 Globemaster III is the mainstay of the Indian armed forces.
In addition to Globemaster, several other tactical military transport aircraft also operate from Leh, including the C-17s, along with IL-76s, C-130Js and AN-32s.
In a post on Twitter, Vistara confirmed the delays, tweeting: “flight UK601 from Delhi to Leh (DEL-IXL) was returning to Delhi airport due to runway restrictions at Leh and is expected to arrive in Delhi at 10 am.”
