India inaugurates new military airbase close to China border

India’s air force chief made the inaugural landing of a military transport aircraft at a new airbase capable of fighter jet operations close to the disputed Himalayan border with China, a defence official said on Thursday.

The move comes amid a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following a milestone pact last October to ease military tensions along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Air Chief Marshal A P Singh landed a C-130J aircraft on Wednesday at the Mudh-Nyoma air force station in Ladakh, perched at a height of about 13,000 feet (4,000 m), said the official, who requested anonymity as the matter is sensitive.

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The Indian Air Force and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The new airbase, the region’s third key station, lies just 30 km (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

“This new airfield in Ladakh, capable of fighter operations, will add a new challenge for both of our adversaries,” retired Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor wrote on X, referring to neighbours China and Pakistan. He added that China has an airfield at a similar altitude.

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Despite the thaw, mistrust persists between China and India, Indian analysts and officials say. The Indian Army chief has noted continued troop presence and infrastructure build-up along the border by both sides.

India and China share a poorly demarcated 3,800 km (2,400 mile) frontier that has been disputed since the 1950s. The neighbours fought a brief but brutal war over it in 1962.

Ties soured after a deadly border clash in 2020, before a 2024 agreement brought a thaw and eased some restrictions, allowing the resumption of direct flights and two-way visits.