Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport is a military airfield of the Indian Air Force and also serves as a domestic airport for Leh, Ladakh, India. It was established in 1961 as a military air-strip to support Indian Army troops in Ladakh, facilitating the landing of military transport aircraft such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Antonov AN-12. Civilian flights commenced after the 1962 Indo-China War, and a separate terminal for civilian passengers was constructed in 1985. The airport is owned by the Indian Air Force and operated by the Airports Authority of India. Despite a proposal in 2016 to hand it over entirely to the Airports Authority of India for civilian expansion, the Ministry of Defence clarified that it remains a strategic airfield for the Indian Air Force and will continue to serve military flights, with a portion of land earmarked for a new civilian terminal. A new, larger terminal is currently under construction, slated for completion by October 2025. The airport has one asphalt runway. Due to mountain winds in the afternoon, all flights operate in the morning, and the approach is unidirectional with higher terrain towards the eastern end.