The land of high passes, Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture

The first flight has been planned on Thursday for the sector Kargil-Jammu-Kargil, subject to fair weather.

In a first, the Ladakh administration has set up online booking of tickets for air services run by the Indian Air Force in the Union territory, officials said on Wednesday.

The administration flagged off the operation of subsidised helicopter service from Ladakh. The service will cater to passengers from far-flung areas of Ladakh on approved routes from Leh-Lingshed, Dibling, Drass, Padum, Kargil, Nubra, Nerak, Jammu, Srinagar, they said.

"This year, for the first time, tickets of AN-32 Kargil courier service have been made available online,” a senior official told PTI.

This facility has been introduced for the convenience of the passengers so that they can book their tickets, from the comfort of their homes, keeping in view the Covid situation, he said.

The passengers can log on to the website http://heliservice.ladakh.gov.in/airforce-plane-booking

The first flight has been planned on Thursday for the sector Kargil-Jammu-Kargil, subject to fair weather, officials said.

Initially, on a trial basis, booking is available for January 20, and subsequently the other flights will also be available, they said.

The land of high passes, Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It is the highest plateau of the sub continent and is famous for its scenic beauty.

"You will face the cold desert climate, especially from October-March. In winters, temperatures are extreme in Leh, dipping below freezing point. It remains closed for more than seven months,” officials said.

During winters, roads in the entire region remain cut off from rest of the country. Winters in Ladakh are very harsh and temperatures can plummet to -30 degree Celsius at night, they said.

Our aim is to meet air connectivity requirements to promote tourism for economic development and employment generation, rescue and medical evacuation purpose, they added.