India’s air force chief made the inaugural landing of a military transport aircraft at a new airbase capable of fighter jet operations close to the disputed Himalayan border with China, a defence official said on Thursday. The move comes amid a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following a milestone pact last October to ease military tension along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh landed the C-130J aircraft on Wednesday at the Mudh-Nyoma air force station in Ladakh, perched at a height of about 13,000 feet (4,000 m), added the official, who sought anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one. The Indian Air Force and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The new airbase, the region’s third such key station, is just 30 km (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Full report : India opens high-altitude military airbase near China border amid thaw in ties.