IAF reconstructs Kargil airport; thrown open after one year

Uroosa, Line of Control (LoC), Dec 13 (UNI) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has reconstructed the damaged runway and apron at the Kargil aiport which was closed for air traffic since the past one year.

Western Air Command, AOC-in-C Air Marshal A K Singh stated this during his visit to this earthquake-ravaged village near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri border area of Baramulla district today.

The IAF adopted the village after the devastating earthquake destroyed the hamlet on October 8 last year.

He said cracks had developed on the runway and the apron at the Kargil airport as the land had caved at many places.

Air Marshal Singh said the Kargil airport was closed for air traffic for the past one year.

''The runway has been reconstructed and the first AN-32 landed at the Kargil airport today,'' he added.

Air Marshal Singh said about 450 stranded passengers in Kargil were later airlifted to Srinagar.

The Kargil airport lies very near the LoC and some of key heights ringing the take-off and landing flight path are in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK). It was damaged several times due to shelling by Pakistani troops since 1999.

The Rs 500 million airport is situated on Kharbatang plateau at a height of 6,000 feet. It was originally designed for major aircraft but the plan could not materialise due to several technical reasons.

In 2002, the Union Government decided to hand over the Kargil airport to the Defence Ministry because of its proximity to Pakistan border and vulnerability to cross-border shelling.

UNI AG VD BD1923