Kargil, like some more towns in Ladakh region is strategically important town. Its strategic importance was revealed when the notorious Kargil war broke out in 1999. Till then, Leh airport enjoyed all the importance and the attending conveniences because of its importance to the defence establishment and also to the local administration. However, Kargil war brought home to our defence strategists that Kargil airport had to be developed to make it feasible for landing of all types of civilian aircrafts.
This is not a big airport. It actually belongs to the State government, and the State government needed to have connectivity in emergency and during the long winter months so that administration of the district would run smoothly. Civil authorities have given it on lease to the Airport Authority of India, who, in turn, passed it on into the administrative control of the Indian Air Force. Presently, the Runway dimension is 6000 ft X 100 ft (1829 mt X 30 mt) and the Terminal Building has the capacity to handle 100 peak hour passengers at a time. As is known to all, the Defence Ministry has been working on upgrading and improving border defence capability on a larges scale so as to thwart the efforts of our adversaries, both China and Pakistan, of creating turmoil on the border. The revised and recast border security perception entails, among other things, road, rail air connectivity.
Likewise, in an additional step, the Air Force has the project of expanding the Kargil airport runway to a length of 3,000 feet enabling all categories of civilian aircrafts to land at it. All expansion and development work will be undertaken by the Defence Ministry and the airport is likely to be given on extended lease of 20 years. Though this is a civilian airport yet being managed and maintained by the Air Force it can be used by the Air Force if and when need arises. Even as far as civilian needs are required, there has been demand from the local population for enhancing civil air service to Kargil. This need will also be met with as the expansion project undertaken by Ministry of Civil Aviation progresses.
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