Operation Sindoor: Indian highways ready to support IAF with alternative runways

Mint

07-05-2025

The Indian Air Force successfully executed a 'land and go' operation on a section of the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on 2 May. The 3.5-kilometre landing site created on the highway can serve as a makeshift runway, allowing fighter jets to land during both during the day and at night.
The development of such dual-use (military and civilian) infrastructure could come handy if the India-Pakistan conflict escalates following the launch of Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, in which India conducted military strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. The creation of such dual-use infrastructure is not new – it has been part of the PM Gati Shakti National Mission for providing multi-modal connectivity.
According to people in the know, the ministry of road transport and highways has kept India's best and most strategically located highways in a state of readiness to effectively counter any action from across the border by providing emergency landing facilities for military aircraft.
Close to half a dozen emergency landing facilities have already been developed on highways, and work on about two dozen more – some of which are close to the international border – is underway in collaboration with ministry of defence. According to one of the people cited above, 28 strategic locations have been identified to provide highway infrastructure for military aircraft.
The cost of such infrastructure is negligible considering the advantages, said the people cited above, adding that additional costs may be shared with the defence ministry.
Vaibhav Dange, an independent infrastructure expert, said, 'Our infrastructure is fully equipped to handle any eventuality and support the military in case such a need arises. The dual-use highways are not for regular use by the military but can be used in emergency situations such as conflicts."
'This is wonderful idea that will not only give India a strategic advantage to effectively counter any provocation from across the border, but also come handy in for disaster management,' he added.
Query sent to the ministry of road transport and highways remained unanswered
A strategy paper presented earlier by the road ministry said sites for emergency landing facilities on national highways had already been identified, and that such infrastructure would be developed in collaboration with the defence ministry.
In 2022, the road ministry said 28 locations had been strategically identified for the development of emergency landing strips. Of these, civil work had been completed at one location and was in progress at four others, the ministry had said at the time. The pace of work has increased since then, and at least half a dozen such landing are now ready or close to ready.
The ministry has not revealed the exact locations of these landing strips owing to their strategic importance, but most of them are in states that share borders with other countries.
In late 2021, union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari inaugurated country's first emergency landing strip on a national highway at Gandhav Bhakasar section on NH-925 in Barmer, Rajasthan. Developed on 3 km of highway, it was meant to serve as an emergency landing facility for the IAF.
Before that, the landing of aircraft on Indian roads was showcased in 2017, when IAF fighter jets and transport planes conducted mock landings on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway.
Apart from landing facilities for aircraft, the road ministry will also ask NHAI to construct helipads at several of these locations, which could also facilitate the movement of both civilians and military personnel.