In need of extensive repairs after Indian airstrikes, Pakistan's Rahim Yar Khan airbase runway closure extended till June 6
Pakistan has extended the closure of the sole runway at its Rahim Yar Khan airbase—hit and damaged by India's military strikes last Saturday (May 10)—till the morning of June 6. On the day of the airstrike, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority had issued a notice to airmen, or NOTAM, saying that the runway at the airbase will be unavailable for flight operations for a week—till 4:59 am Pakistan time (5:29 IST) on Sunday (May 18).
However, according to a new NOTAM that has replaced the previous notice, now the runway will not be available till 4:59 am Pakistan time on June 6. This indicates that the extensive runway repairs needed after India's precision strikes may be taking longer than earlier anticipated. Like the previous NOTAM, the new notice also said that closure is due to work in progress, without going into specifics, and that the runway will not be available for flight operations.
Rahim Yar Khan, which is in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province and faces the Rajasthan frontier, has a dual-purpose airport—it is home to a forward operational base of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Central Air Command and the Sheikh Zayed International Airport.
Satellite images released by the Indian armed forces in the days that followed the airstrike show a large and deep crater in the middle of the Rahim Yar Khan airbase runway caused by an Indian airstrike. Satellite imagery also showed extensive damage to a building at the airbase.
'RWY NOT AVBL FOR FLT OPERATION WIP.,' stated the initial as well as the latest NOTAM about Rahim Yar Khan airbase runway.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), use of the code 'WIP' in a NOTAM refers to work in progress. As per the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 'WIP' describes any work being done on the airport surface. Given that the NOTAM specifically mentions the runway at the airbase, it indicates that work in progress is on the runway itself.
The airbase's sole runway—Runway 01/19—has a bituminous surface and is 3,000 metres or 9,843 feet in length, per airport data available on Flightradar24.
The airbase was one the multiple key Pakistani military targets that India hit amid a military conflict that lasted four days, before the two nuclear-powered neighbours arrived at a ceasefire understanding on the evening of May 10. The airbase was among the six Pakistani military targets hit on May 10—Rafiki, Murid, Chaklala, Sukkur and Juniya being the other five—by India using 'air-launched precision weapons' from Indian fighter aircraft. The Indian response followed Pakistan's 'escalatory' and 'provocative' actions in which it attempted air intrusions at multiple locations, which were thwarted by the Indian armed forces.
India and Pakistan engaged in the worst fighting in decades in the wake of India's precision strikes at nine terror infrastructure locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as part of 'Operation Sindoor' in the wee hours on May 7. These strikes were in response to the deadly attack at Pahalgam on April 22 in which 26 people, almost all of them tourists, were gunned down by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
Following India's precision strikes at terror infrastructure early on May 7, the tensions saw a major escalation with Pakistan launching drone and missile attacks against India all along the Line of Control and the international border, and India neutralising Pakistani attacks and retaliating with strikes at Pakistani military assets in various parts of that country.
Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
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