Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived aboard an IAF C-130J at the Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh to inaugurate India’s first emergency landing facility in the Northeast.
- An Indian Air Force demonstration with around 16 aircraft, including Rafale, Sukhoi, Tejas, transport planes and helicopters, validated operations on the highway strip.
- Developed at about ₹100 crore, the facility is designed for both civil and military use, can handle fighters up to 40 tonnes and transports up to 74 tonnes, and can serve as an alternative to Dibrugarh airport during emergencies.
- Officials highlight the site’s strategic value near international borders, enhancing operational redundancy and enabling rapid humanitarian and disaster-relief missions.
- The inauguration aligns with a wider rollout of highway ELFs nationwide—following Barmer in 2021 and 18 identified sites—and coincided with launches in Assam including a Brahmaputra bridge, IIM Guwahati campus, a regional data centre and 225 e-buses worth over ₹5,450 crore.