NEW DELHI: 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 tension along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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

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

The new airbase, the region’s third such key station, is just 30km (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 China and Pakistan. China has an airfield at a similar height, he added.

Mistrust persists between China and India despite the thaw, Indian analysts and officials say, with the Indian Army chief pointing this year to continued heightened troop presence and infrastructure build-up on the border by both sides.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2025