Kalyan Airstrip

Kalyan Airstrip
Remains of the abandoned NE-SW Runway of RAF Kalyan as seen in May 2022.
Summary
Airport typeDefunct
OperatorRoyal Air Force (1942–1947)
ServesMumbai Metropolitan Area
LocationKalyan, Maharashtra, India
Elevation AMSL60 ft / 20 m
Coordinates19°10′27.8″N 073°08′10.8″E / 19.174389°N 73.136333°E / 19.174389; 73.136333
Map
Kalyan is located in India
Kalyan
Kalyan
Location in India
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
08/26 6,000 1,830 Concrete/Dirt
03/21 6,000 1,830 Concrete/Dirt

Kalyan Airstrip was located at Nevali village, 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Kalyan railway station and 55 km (34 mi) north of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.[1] It was the primary landing ground for the nearby city of Bombay (now Mumbai) as early as 1920, much before the airfields of Juhu and RAF Santacruz were established.[1]

As a Royal Air Force station during World War II in British India, the airfield served as RAF Kalyan from 1942 to 1947 and was abandoned after the war. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence but has been encroached upon.[2]

Several Fighter Squadrons and support units were stationed at Kalyan from 1942 to 1947.[3] The field was abandoned after the war.

Unit Dates Aircraft
No. 20 Squadron RAF 1945–1946 Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Tempest
No. 110 Squadron RAF March 1942 Vultee Vengeance, de Havilland Mosquito
No. 7110 Servicing Echelon 30 Sep – 6 Oct 1944
No. 3 Mobile Parachute Servicing Unit 1945 – Jan 1946
No 129 Staging post 31 Jan – 7 Apr 1945
  1. ^ People, India Parliament House of the; Sabha, India Parliament Lok (August-2007). Lok Sabha Debates. Lok Sabha Secretariat. p. 115. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Protest against proposed airport turns violent near Kalyan, several policemen injured". The Hindu. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  3. ^ "RAF Kalyan". www.rafweb.org. 9 January 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2013.