Deesa Airport
Deesa Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Deesa, Palanpur | ||||||||||
| Location | Deesa, India | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 485 ft / 148 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°16′04.57″N 072°12′15.96″E / 24.2679361°N 72.2044333°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Deesa Airport Location of airport in India | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Deesa Airport (also spelled Disa Airport), also known as Palanpur Airport, is an airport in Deesa, Gujarat originally built to serve the princely state of Palanpur. It is managed by the Airports Authority of India.[1]
The airport hit national headlines in February 2011 when Subramanian Swamy claimed that 2G case accused Shahid Balwa illegally used the airport for transporting "all kinds of VIPs and criminals" in and out of the country secretly.[2] The Airports Authority of India denied this was the case, stating that the airstrip was not used for the last 2 years, due to the poor condition of the airstrip, adding that it was fit only for paragliding.[3] The airfield was most recently used for a sky diving program in 2013.[4]
In September 2011, A K Gogoi, Commander in Chief, South Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force announced that there was a proposal to develop Deesa Airport into a full fledged Air Base and that the Defence Ministry had approved this proposal. Deesa was chosen due to its strategic location, being close to the international border with Pakistan. The first phase of this proposal includes spending INR 30 billion on strengthening airport infrastructure.[5][6]
In March 2018, the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister of India approved the forward air force base plan.[7]
References
- ^ "Helipad in every taluka headquaters [sic]". The Times of India. 28 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Balwa ran illegal airport: Swamy". The Hindu. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ "Officials trash Swamy's charges on Balwa using Deesa airstrip". The Indian Express. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ "Flying high, participants get thrill of adventure". The Times of India. 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Nod Given to Develop Deesa Airport as Air Base: IAF". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ "IAF set to turn Deesa airport into airbase". The Indian Express. 2 September 2011.
- ^ "Centre clears plans for IAF base close to Pakistan border in Gujarat". Hindustan Times. 23 March 2018.