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Deesa Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Deesa | ||||||||||
| Location | Deesa, India | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 485 ft / 148 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°16′04.57″N072°12′15.96″E / 24.2679361°N 72.2044333°E /24.2679361; 72.2044333 | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
  Deesa Airport Location of the airport in Gujarat Show map of Gujarat Deesa Airport Deesa Airport (India) Show map of India | |||||||||||
 Interactive map of Deesa Airport | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Deesa Airport (also spelledDisa Airport) is an airport inDeesa,Gujarat. It is managed by theAirports Authority of India.[1]
The airport hit national headlines in February 2011 whenSubramanian Swamy claimed that2G case accusedShahid Balwa illegally used the airport to secretly transport VIPs and criminals in and out of the country.[2] The Airports Authority of India denied this was the case, stating that the airstrip was not used for the last two years, due to the poor condition of the airstrip, adding that it was fit only forparagliding.[3] The airfield was most recently used for asky diving program in 2013.[4]
In September 2011, A K Gogoi, Commander in Chief,South Western Air Command of theIndian Air Force announced that there was a proposal to develop Deesa Airport into a full-fledgedAir Base and that theDefence Ministry had approved this proposal. Deesa was chosen due to its strategic location, being close to the international border withPakistan. The first phase of this proposal includes spending₹3,000 crore (US$350 million) on strengthening airport infrastructure.[5][6]
In March 2018, theCabinet Committee on Security headed by thePrime Minister of India approved the forward air force base plan.[7]
In October 2020, theGovernment sanction was given for the infrastructure activities of the approved Air Force Base,[8] in November 2020, they were inaugurated by the Indian Air Force's Chief Marshal,RKS Bhadauria.[9]
On 30 September 2022, the groundbreaking ceremony for runway and allied infrastructure at the Deesa Air Force station was held by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. The project will cost₹1,000 crore (US$120 million).[10] The air base is spread over an area of 4,000 acres (1,600 ha). The new runway was constructed at cost of₹394 crore (US$47 million) and was inaugurated on 21 February 2024 by PM Modi.[11]