By building new or expanding its existing airbases in India’s neighboring areas, China has been bolstering its air force facilities. In an intelligence report, 16 locations, including those near Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and even in Uttarakhand, not too far away from the India-Nepal-Tibet triangulation point have been described.
Xinjiang shares borders with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Russia, among others. The region is bordered by Ladakh, which has been the focus of a military struggle between China and India for the last year. Arunachal Pradesh is also in the process of building three new airports. Ali Gunsa, Burang, and Tashkorgan airports are among those put in the first-tier category or forward bases near Indian borders. Both civilian and military uses are intended for these.
Airport near Karakoram Range: Tashkorgam Pamir
The Tashkorgam Pamir near the Karakoram Pass is the largest and newest ariport in the category.The Karakoram Pass is nearby. Atop the Pamir Plateau, north of Gilgit in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the airport is near the critical Siachen Glacier. The airport is the first high plateau airport in the region. North of the Daulat Beg Oldie airbase lies the Karakoram Range.
The construction of China’s westernmost airport began last year amid tensions in Ladakh. The airport is considered a critical strategic base for China due to its proximity to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. It is located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which borders Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. By June 2022, the airport should begin operations. As it falls on the border between the Indian territory of Ladakh and China’s Xinjiang autonomous region in Tibet, the Karakoram Pass is strategically important for India and China.
In the Eastern Karakoram Range, the all-critical Siachen Glacier is under Indian control. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) crosses the Karakoram Range. At least five airports from Hotan to Shache have been upgraded in the Karakoram Pass region, including Tashkorgan (a new airport will be built) and Yutian Wangfung.
Hotan airbase, located close to Ladakh and around 250 km from the Karakoram Pass, has been extremely active since tensions in Ladakh began. Here, fighter aircraft have been deployed in large numbers and new facilities have been built. China is improving infrastructure at air bases that can be used for action in Ladakh even as diplomatic and military dialogues continue in the region.
Airport at Ali Gunsa: Near Ladakh, Himachal, and Uttarakhand
The Ali Gunsa airport at 14,000 feet is located close to Shiqanhe, a town in Ngari Prefecture and is also called Nagari Kunsha. It is about 200 km from the Pangong Lake in Ladakh and also serves Lake Mansarovar opposite Mt Kailash. Due to its proximity to Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the airport has a strategic location. This is also a first-tier or forward airport. After the Doklam standoff between India and China in 2017, the airport saw rapid expansion and has continued to undergo upgrades amid military tensions in Ladakh over the past year.
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Near India-Tibet-Nepal triangular intersection: Buran Airport
There is also another airport close to Mt Kailash that has been approved, which is the third among the first-tier category airports. The city is situated near the India-Tibet-Nepal tri-junction, which borders the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Last year, a new strategic road constructed by India to the Lipulekh pass at 17,000 feet on the India-Tibet-Nepal tri-junction sparked a diplomatic dispute between New Delhi and Kathmandu over the territory. Tri-junction and the road facilitate travel for pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar and also aid troops serving at the Line of Actual Control on the India-China frontier. Burang or Purang (as it is pronounced in Tibetan) is located at a height of more than 13,000 feet.
Other upgrades
Upgrades are being made to the airport in Tazhong, north of Bhutan. In the aftermath of the Doklam standoff between India and China on the India-Tibet-Bhutan trijunction in 2017, there is significance in this policy change. In the eastern sector, two airports are planned in Minxian and Dingxi in the Gansu province opposite Arunachal Pradesh.
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