Recently, several viral posts on social media and across the internet claim that the Bangladesh Air Force will construct Asia’s second-largest airbase near the “Chicken Neck” with technical assistance from China.
See some related Facebook posts regarding this claim here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), and here (Archive).
In some of these posts, the claim references the Bangladesh Air Force as the source of this information.
See more related Facebook posts here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), and here (Archive).
Additionally, videos on Facebook about this claim, excluding any verified sources or information on Chinese assistance, can be found here (Archive).
Videos on YouTube related to the same claim are available here (Archive).
News coverage on this claim by Indian media can be seen on Calcutta News here (YouTube).
Fact-Check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner Team reveals that the claim of building an airbase near the “Chicken Neck” with Chinese assistance is false. In reality, operations at the Lalmonirhat airport, which has been a subject of frequent discussion, have been inactive for over six decades. The Rumor Scanner Team has further confirmed that no recent initiatives have been undertaken to reactivate the airport.
During the investigation, it was discovered that a Facebook page named BDMilitary/BDOSINT (Page Link) had posted a similar claim at 6:43 PM on November 27. This post can be found here. In the comments section, the page admin claimed, “Today, the annual Bangladesh Air Force exercise was held. Plans reveal that an airbase will be established on 700 acres of land in Lalmonirhat. This airbase will be capable of accommodating 70 fighter jets and could potentially sever India’s northeastern states from the rest of the country in moments. The airbase will consist of three sections: a Combat Ops Division, an MRO Division, and an Aerospace Technology University.”
Around the same time, another Facebook page called Cantonmentian Shitposting (Profile Link) shared a similar post, which can be found here. In the comments, the page admin mentioned, “Please watch today’s briefing by the Air Chief at the Bangladesh Air Force artillery exercise in Tangail.”
Further investigation revealed that, on November 27, the Bangladesh Air Force conducted the 2024 air-to-ground artillery exercise, named Exercise Flash Point, in Tangail. The Bangladesh Air Force Facebook page shared a related post here, but no information supporting this claim could be found upon analysis.
Additionally, the official press release from the Ministry of Defense’s Inter Services Public Relation Directorate (ISPR) Department here and the report from the state-owned Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) here contain no references to such claims.
During the exercise, the Air Force Chief, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, delivered a speech. A review of the live broadcast of his speech here also revealed no mention of this claim.
Thus, the claim appears to have stemmed from references to the Tangail exercise. However, an analysis of videos and news reports regarding the event shows no evidence supporting the claim.
However, this claim is not new. The Rumor Scanner team has observed that similar discussions have arisen in the past. On November 22, a video making a similar claim on YouTube (watch here) garnered over 400,000 views. However, the video does not provide any information about the construction of the airbase with Chinese assistance.
In September, a Facebook post (see here) also discussed this topic. The viral post stated:
“The previously unseen barrier to the renovation of Thakurgaon Airport near India’s Chicken Neck has now come to light. Do you know what that barrier is? If an airport or runway is built here, in the event of a conflict between India and Bangladesh, it would take only three to four minutes for fighter jets from this location to reach India’s Siliguri Corridor. That is why India has historically blocked efforts to renovate this airport or establish an airbase here. Currently, after the ‘Second Liberation,’ renovating Thakurgaon Airport has become extremely urgent.”
The Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the Chicken Neck, frequently surfaces in discussions about the India-China border. This corridor, which is 60 kilometers long and 22 kilometers wide, is considered India’s lifeline. Losing control of this corridor would completely sever India’s road and rail connectivity with its northeastern states.
A 2021 report by Voice of America Bangla (read here) reveals that China is attempting to disrupt this corridor, and in response, India has heightened its security. Strategically, India has established two air bases—Bagdogra and Hasimara—to enhance the security of the corridor at both its eastern and western ends. The western edge of this corridor is adjacent to Bangladesh.
The Voice of America Bangla report further noted that both China and India have been actively trying to secure Bangladesh’s support regarding the Chicken Neck issue.
The oft-discussed Lalmonirhat Airport is located approximately 160 kilometers from this corridor (Google Maps link).
Historically (read here), in 1931, the British government acquired 1,166 acres of land in Mahendranagar and Harati areas of Lalmonirhat’s Sadar Upazila to build an airbase for facilitating communication with Nepal, Bhutan, and at least 13 states of India. A vast runway and infrastructure were constructed across the area. However, after World War II ended in 1945, the airbase was not put to further use. A brief attempt to operate air services in 1958 was short-lived, leaving the airport largely abandoned since then.
An October report from the national daily Janakantha (read here) revealed that the Lalmonirhat Airport has remained neglected for over five decades. Locals now use the airport’s land for agriculture, and goats graze on the runway.
The Janakantha report also highlighted that in 2019, then-Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat visited the airport with engineers from the Air Force. They assessed the site’s feasibility and held meetings with senior officials from the army, air force, and civil administration. Later, in 2021, then-Social Welfare Minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed and the Air Force Chief visited the site. However, the airport remains inactive. Locals still hope for its revival, possibly after a change in government.
In 2019, the northern end of the airport’s runway became the site for the Bangladesh Aviation and Aerospace University. Earlier that year, a related bill was passed in Parliament (read here). The university now has a permanent campus in Lalmonirhat (see admission notice) and another campus at Dhaka’s old Tejgaon Airport (details here).
In August 2019, The Daily Star reported (read here) that the Lalmonirhat Airport was expected to reopen by December that year. However, Rumor Scanner’s investigation found no updates on its progress since.
A 2020 report by the local newspaper The Weekly Alor Moni (read here) cited a reliable source from Lalmonirhat Air Force’s maintenance unit, claiming that Bhutan had also expressed interest in using the airport. However, the plan has not materialized due to airspace-related complications.
To investigate the claims further, Rumor Scanner reached out to the Inter Services Public Relation Directorate (ISPR) and local journalists in Lalmonirhat.
The ISPR informed Rumor Scanner that the recent claims circulating on social media are entirely false and baseless.
The ISPR clarified that no discussions regarding the reopening of the airport have taken place recently.
Local journalists provided the same information. Channel 24’s Lalmonirhat correspondent, Mahfuz Bakul, told Rumor Scanner that no new discussions about reopening the airport have occurred, and there is no recent information on this matter.
Mahfuz added that the airbase remains abandoned and unused. In the near future, the runway might be partially utilized for aviation university students.
He also noted that while India has never publicly opposed reopening the airport, it is diplomatically against the idea. Previously, a Bhutanese ambassador visited the site and suggested bilateral cooperation for its use, but the proposal did not progress further.
National daily The Daily Star’s Lalmonirhat correspondent Dilip Roy told Rumor Scanner:
“No decision has been made on this matter. It’s a rumor circulating only on social media. There is no evidence to support it. The Lalmonirhat airbase remains abandoned. A unit of the Air Force is stationed here. Additionally, there is a military farm operated by the Bangladesh Army, which produces dairy products.”
Masud Rana Rashed, editor of the local news outlet Alor Moni, stated that they had heard about the claim via social media and Indian satellite channels.
Masud added, “The Air Force authorities here oversee a military farm in Lalmonirhat operated by the Bangladesh Army, and its operations are ongoing. Additionally, there is a maintenance unit of the Air Force in Lalmonirhat. Nearby, the temporary campus of the Aviation and Aerospace University is operational. Moreover, a section of the national highway that previously passed through the area has been rerouted. Alongside the airbase, numerous educational institutions have emerged, transforming the area into an education hub.”
He expressed hope that the airport might reopen and that a tri-nation trade center involving Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan would be established.
Conclusion
Operations at Lalmonirhat airport, located approximately 160 kilometers from India’s Chicken Neck, have remained inactive for over six decades. Despite multiple assurances from previous governments regarding its potential reopening, none of these plans have been realized. However, in 2019, a bill passed in Parliament facilitated the establishment of a temporary campus for the Bangabandhu Aviation and Aerospace University at the site.
Recent claims that the Bangladesh Air Force intends to construct an airbase at this location with Chinese assistance have been thoroughly investigated and found to be entirely false. The Rumor Scanner Team has consulted relevant sources and analyzed the available evidence, which confirms that no such initiative is underway.
Therefore, the viral claim about constructing an airbase in Lalmonirhat with Chinese assistance is unequivocally misleading.
References
- The Daily Star: Country’s first aviation university will be in Lalmonirhat
- Statement from ISPR
- Statements from several local journalists in Lalmonirhat
- Rumor Scanner’s own investigation
