Poonch Airport
Poonch Airport पुंछ हवाई अड्डे پونچھ ہوائی اڈہ | |
|---|---|
| Summary | |
| Airport type | Military/Public |
| Operator | Airports Authority of India |
| Location | Poonch, J&K, India |
| Coordinates | 33°46′13″N 074°04′59″E / 33.77028°N 74.08306°E |
| Map | |
  Poonch Airport Location in Jammu & Kashmir, India  Poonch Airport Poonch Airport (India) | |
Poonch Airport (also known as Poonch Airstrip) is an airport located in the
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad made a suggestion to Air Deccan that they start flying small aircraft to Poonch. The then Chairman of Air Deccan, Captain Gopinath said that Air Deccan would consider flying helicopters to Poonch.[2]
History
Poonch is of strategic importance, as via Poonch easy access to the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, the Pakistan Army had surrounded Poonch on 21 November 1947, thereby cutting off all communications with the rest of India.[4] Then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru insisted that the Poonch must not be surrendered, though British Lieutenant General Russel then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army thought it was "sheer suicidal" to try and retain Poonch. Though supplies were airdropped, it was not sufficient for the army plus 40,000 refugees.[5]
Lieutenant-Colonel Pritam Singh, commanding the forces in the area decided to build an airstrip in Poonch.
Incidents
- In 2002, the Pakistan Army fired at the airport from across the border. The shelling did not cause any damage at the airport.[11]
- In 2003, a terrorist from the Lashkar-e-Taiba opened fire in the area, injuring an airport guard.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Poonch airport guard injured in militant attack". The Times of India. 15 May 2003. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ "Air Deccan launches Delhi-Srinagar flight". Outlook (magazine). 6 December 2005. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ISBN 81-7212-001-X.
- ISBN 0-86131-692-4.
- ^ ISBN 81-7648-593-4.
- ^ Kumar, DP. Kashmir: Pakistan's proxy war. Har-Anand Publications. pp. 26, 42.
- ^ Singh, Gp Capt Ranbir (2009). Major defence operations since 1947. Prabhat Prakashan. p. 50.
- ^ "R.I.A.F Pilots' Skill at Poonch". The Indian Express. 18 October 1948. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ISBN 1-897829-20-5.
- ISBN 81-7049-123-1.
- The Tribune. 12 June 2002. Retrieved 7 February 2012.