Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted the importance of the Northeast’s first emergency landing facility (ELF) in Assam, describing it as “a matter of immense pride.”
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi underlined the facility’s dual significance, noting that it is crucial not only from a strategic defence perspective but also during natural disasters, where it can play a vital role in emergency response and rapid deployment of relief operations.
It is a matter of immense pride that the Northeast gets an Emergency Landing Facility. From a strategic point of view and during times of natural disasters, this facility is of great importance. pic.twitter.com/eGaJIcptrf
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2026
“It is a matter of
immense pride that the Northeast gets an Emergency Landing Facility. From a strategic point of view and during times of natural disasters, this facility is of great importance,” the Prime Minister tweeted. He also shared images of the IAF’s aircraft taking off from the highway-runway.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated the Rs 100-crore ELF on the Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh district. Marking the occasion, PM Modi landed at the 4.2-kilometre reinforced highway strip aboard a C-130J aircraft after taking off from Chabua airfield.
Following the inauguration, the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted a 40-minute air show to demonstrate the operational capabilities of the new facility. A Rafale fighter jet took off from the highway-runway, while Tejas and Sukhoi jets, along with helicopters, also participated in the aerial display. The exercise showcased how stretches of national highways can be converted into functional runways in emergency situations when regular airbases are unavailable.
Constructed along National Highway-37, the dual-use ELF has been developed in coordination with the Air Force to facilitate emergency landings and take-offs of military as well as select civilian aircraft. The facility is capable of handling fighter jets weighing up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 74 tonnes.
Apart from enhancing strategic preparedness in the border region, the ELF is expected to strengthen disaster-response capabilities by enabling rapid deployment of rescue and relief operations across the Northeast.
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