Reports: India Launches Airbase near China

By Staff, Agencies

India has launched an airbase in Ladakh near its border with China, according to media reports.

The Mudh-Nyoma air force station is 14 miles [23 km] from the border with China, Hindustan Times reported.

The airbase, situated at a height of 13,700 feet, was built by the Border Roads Organization [BRO] at an estimated cost of $25 million, according to the report. India had initiated the airbase project in 2023.

The airbase has a 1.7-mile-long runway, new hangars, an ATC building, crash bay, and accommodation facilities. It is capable of handling large transport aircraft and combat jets.

Ties between New Delhi and Beijing, which became strained following a border clash in 2020 that left many dead, have been on the mend since last year.

In October 2024, the countries signed a border patrol deal after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

India started issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens after a five-year pause in July 2025.

A month later, Modi visited China for the first time since 2018 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin.

In October, India and China also resumed direct flights, which were suspended at the beginning of the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.