Ladakh residents suffer as Air India reducesnumber of flights to Leh

Yangchan Dolma

Leh, December 27

The air connectivity to the Ladakh region has been badly affected since the start of December as airlines have reduced the number of flights to the region.

One of the three airlines flying to Leh from Delhi — Jet Airways — has withdrawn its operation since the first week of December, while Air India has reduced its flights from seven to three per week.

Only GoAir is operating a daily flight on the Delhi-Leh sector.

With no other mode of transport for people of Ladakh to travel from Leh to other parts of the country, the demand for air tickets has increased, resulting in a steep rise in the airfares.

People who have to travel to Ladakh book their tickets in advance from Delhi to Leh.

Sources said the tickets in all airlines flying to Leh from Delhi had been booked in advance for January. As a result, people who have to make emergency trips are facing hardships to get their tickets confirmed.

Two airlines, Air India and GoAir, have increased the airfare from Leh to Delhi to Rs 25,000 (one-way journey).

With the closure of both highways to Ladakh (434-km-long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh and 474-km-long Manali-Leh), the air travel is the only mode of transport for the people of the region.

If a patient is referred for advanced treatment outside, which is unavailable at District Hospital, Leh, the air ticket for the patient along with two attendants costs nearly Rs 60,000 from Leh to Delhi.

Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Sonam Dawa Lonpo said: “The airfare will be regulated with the resumption of the daily Air India flight from Delhi to Leh from January 12. It was decided at a meeting of a LAHDC delegation and Member of Parliament from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang with the Civil Aviation Ministry in Delhi recently. During the meeting, the delegation urged the Ministry to resume the daily operation of the Air India flight to Leh.”

The CEC said the delegation had also urged the Ministry to include Ladakh in the regional connectivity scheme on the basis of road closure and poor connectivity. Under this scheme, there is a proposal of a fare cap of Rs 2,500 on an hour-long flight on regional routes.