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INDIAN EXPRESS
IAF game for extending Agatti airstrip

NEW DELHI
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has set forth its vote of support on a proposal with the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking to extend and expand the only airstrip on the Lakshadweep islands. An extended runway on Agatti Island, the IAF has said in an official communication to the Defence Ministry, will give its fighters and military transports a 400-km range and logistical advantage in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
The proposal — currently with the government — is to reclaim land in the 400-metre gap between Agatti Island and the tiny uninhabited Kalpati coral islet nearby, and thereby allow an extension of the tarmac from the current 4,235 feet to approximately 7,000 feet and attendant increase of space from the current 18.36 hectare.

The airstrip is currently only suitable for light Dornier and other aircraft and helicopters. With an extension, that could also include reinforcement of the tarmac and an upgrade of available visual and instrument navigational aids and infrastructure, the airport will be able to handle fighters (for instance, maritime strike Jaguars and Sukhoi-30MKIs from Lohegaon) and heavy transport, both civil and military.
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