New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) The Defence Ministry on Tuesday said the Indian Air Force has carried out extensive resurfacing work on the runway of Bagdogra airfield enabling civil aircraft to resume operations.

It said the first civil aircraft landed at the Bagdogra airfield at around 8 am on Tuesday.

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"The IAF has carried out extensive resurfacing work on the runway of Bagdogra airfield enabling civil aircraft to resume operations from the morning of April 26," the ministry said in a statement.

The runway was closed for two weeks for laying three flexible layers and reconstruction of non-load bearing surfaces.

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"The work also involved reconstruction of the concrete portion at each end of the runway and widening of the taxi tracks & links as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards," the ministry said.

Bagdogra is the second busiest airport of West Bengal and is a joint user international airport with a civil terminal attached to the IAF airfield. "The IAF's timely completion of the work will enable approximately 8000 air travellers to fly to and from Bagdogra, to various parts of the country, every day," the ministry said.

"The Bagdogra airfield is not only important from a strategic point of view but is also a major international hub for promoting tourism and economy," it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)