Leh Airbase is the 23rd highest commercial airport in the world. It has the most challenging approach in India - a unidirectional approach to Runway 07. Due to the mountainous terrain, operations to and from Leh airspace, and part of the route segment, are only approved for VFR (visual flight rules). Also, all commercial flights usually land and take off only in the morning, due to the presence of high winds in the afternoon.
The airfield is operated by the Indian Air Force, with a civil enclave of the Airports Authority of India for commercial passenger traffic, called the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Terminal. Airport security is provided by the Indian Army. Hence, much of the information for Leh Airbase is classified or unavailable, including official arrival/departure and approach charts, airfield information, etc.Leh has a single runway used for bi-directional operations.
While the Leh airport has no permanent deployment of IAF fighters, it is equipped to operate the entire range of IAF aircraft including Rafale, Sukhoi 30, Mig 29 etc while enabling night-operating capability.
Besides the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, there are six Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in Ladakh that that are operated by the IAF where besides fighters, heavy transport aircraft like C-17 ‘Globemaster’, the C-130J ‘Super Hercules’, the AN-32s and the IL-76s can also land and take off.
From the ALGs, the ‘last mile connectivity’ to the military outposts is usually provided by helicopters. Ever since tension soared two years ago between India and China, 36 new helipads have been constructed in far-flung areas in the sensitive divisions of Ladakh, in addition to the older ones including one near the Finger 4 area on the north bank of the Pangong Tso lake.
