Is India reviving Kailashahar airport in Tripura to counter Bangladesh's activation of Lalmonirhat airbase?
A day after a Bangladeshi senior official announced that the Army was reactivating the Lalmonirhat Airport, situated 135 km from India’s strategically vital Siliguri Corridor, indications that India could be reviving the Kailashahar airport in Tripura to counter Dhaka's move.
Bangladesh Army's director of military operations Brigadier General Md. Nazim-ud-Daula told a press briefing at the army headquarters on Monday that the Lalmonirhat Airport, which has been unused for a long time, is being activated on the basis of necessity.
“The airport is being revived to support national needs, including the Aerospace University. I have no information about Chinese involvement. Rest assured, no foreign entity will be allowed to operate in a way that harms our security or national interest," Brig Gen Md Nazim-ud-Daula, director of the Military Operations Directorate of Bangladesh said, on speculations about Chinese involvement amid reports that a Chinese team had conducted site visits in the area. If the People's Liberation Army gets involved, that would mean that China could place its military equipment there, including fighter jets, radars, and surveillance equipment.
On Tuesday, Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury told reporters that the Central government is expected to take initiatives to revive the long-defunct airport at Kailashahar in Unakoti District. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) also carried out a feasibility inspection of the airport on Monday, examining the current state of infrastructure, land availability, and operational challenges.
The official version is that the plan is to revive the local civilian airport, which could also be used for military purposes, to increase regional connectivity.
The Kailashahar airport was last used by the Army during the India-Pakistan war in 1971 during the formation of Bangladesh. The Indian Air Force had used the base to carry out missions and surveillance. The base was also used for the inaugural missions of Kilo Flight—Bangladesh’s first resistance air unit under the operational command of the Indian Air Force. It was from this base that the Kilo Flight team carried out hit-and-run operations using a Canadian-built DHC-3 Otter and a French-designed Alouette II helicopter.
India