China began preparations to develop a new airport near the eastern Ladakh border

India's watchful eye on Chinese movements on the LAC

China's efforts to reduce the 400 km gap between airports near the Indian border

MUMBAI: China is developing a new airport to fly fighter jets near eastern Ladakh in the town of Shakche in Xinjiang province to address shortcomings in the operation of fighter aircraft on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in India.

According to sources, the new base will be located between the existing Kashgar and Hogan bases. From here, fighter jets have been flying over the Indian border for a long time. China expects the new airport to address the shortcomings of its air force in the region.

The city of Shakche currently has an airport that will be upgraded to operate fighter jets. The base will be ready for the operation of fighter jets in the near future and work for it has been expedited.

According to experts, there is a gap of about 400 km between the existing airports of China near LAC which will be less than the new airport being built in Shakche. Indian agencies are also closely monitoring the airport near the Uttarakhand border at Bahahoti near China. Here China has rocked hundreds of unmanned aircraft (drones) that are constantly flying in the area.