Hindan Air Force Station
Air Force Station Hindan is an Indian Air Force base under the Western Air Command. It is the biggest and largest air base in Asia and 8th in the world. Its area measured 14 km rounded and. This base celebrates Air Force Day on 8 October. It is located near Loni Ghaziabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh in the National Capital Region on the outskirts of Delhi, close to the Hindan River. Starting 2006, the annual Air Force Day Parade venue was shifted from Palam Airport to Hindan. There is one runway, aligned east-west, of length x width. This is the home of the C-17 Globemaster the backbone of Heavy Air Lift division of Indian Air Force. The Airports Authority of India operates a civil enclave at Hindan as part of the government's Regional Connectivity Scheme.
Units
- No. 77 Squadron
- No. 81 Squadron
- No. 129 Helicopter Unit
History
In mid-1980s it was identified by ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali among the 10 air bases in India prone to bird hits, due to the presence of slaughterhouses and dumping grounds in its vicinity being close to the Ghaziabad industrial city. In the coming years, the number of accidents increased.
Finally in 1997, when three plane crashes occurred within a span of few days, Hindan was abandoned as a fighter base and remained home to Avros and Mi-17 helicopters and transport aircraft in the following years, apart from being used by the IAF Aircrew Examination Board.
However, in 2003, with growing terrorist threats, its importance as a strategic air base to provide air cover to the capital was realised, as Hindan-based fighters could reach the skies over New Delhi within five minutes as compared to the 15-plus minutes it would take from other closest bases, namely Sirsa Air Force Station, Ambala Air Force Base and Chandigarh Air Force Station, and thus Hindan was reactivated and area around it was cleaned up. September 2005, saw Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi becoming the first Chief of Air Staff to earn para wings while in office, as he finished his fifth and final para jump at Air Force Station Hindan.
In 2006, Indian Air Force shifted its 74th Anniversary celebration venue from Palam Airport in Delhi, to Hindan to avoid airspace closure for commercial traffic, where the Air Force Day Parade cum investiture ceremony was held on 8 October, and an air display by 66 aircraft. This also gave the IAF aircraft more air space during the air show, till then was uses primarily as a helicopter base. After that it has become an annual event at the station.
On 1 June 2007, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major flagged off a microlight expedition, part of the IAF’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, aiming to creating a record by completing the expedition, Around the World in 80 Days. Wing Commanders Rahul Monga and Anil Kumar reached Hindan back on 19 August, and covering 40,497 km in 80 days they achieved a speed of 21.092 km/h thus beating the previous record of 16.53 km/h set by Colin Bodil of the U.K. in 2001. Although the FAI has denied their claim as both the pilots and the Indian Air Force could not furnish any proof for such a feat.
In 2007, when the Airports Authority of India and the Indian Air Force launched a pilot project to test joint management of the airspace, Hindan was opened to civilian flights, though its open for flights only during stipulated hours of the day.
After the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks IAF moved MiG-29s to the air base in order "to protect the capital from aerial threats."
Hindan was amongst nine airfields in the Western Air Command for the Modernization of Air Field Infrastructure programme, started in 2009. Due its proximity to the Delhi, work at the station which included equipping it with sensitive radars was to commence first. This work completed in 2011 when the first of six C-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft arrived from the US. Hindan was designated to become home base for these aircraft and for this purpose, the Hindan runway was extended and modern hangars, servicing and operations facilities suitable for the C-130J aircraft were added. Hindan currently hosts 18 C-130J's.
In June 2011, the IAF signed a contract with the USAF to purchase 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III's. With the No. 81 Squadron bed down, the contract includes a dual-bay hangar, squadron operations facility, and other facilities and utilities to support aircraft operations. Deliveries began in June 2013 and are to continued through December 2014.
Historical use
- No. 5 Squadron IAF – Jaguar IS/IB
- No. 14 Squadron IAF – Jaguar IS/IB
- No. 23 Squadron IAF – MiG-21 bis
- No. 24 Squadron IAF – MiG-21 bis
Civil Enclave
Hindon Airport, also spelled as Hindan Airport is a civil enclave in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, operated by the Airports Authority of India at Hindan Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force. It is the second commercial airport in the Delhi NCR after Indira Gandhi International AirportThe airport was primarily built to handle flights operating under the Government's regional connectivity scheme and hence reducing the burden of regional flights from Delhi's main airport. As of 2019, there are two airlines operating regional flights from the airport.
History of Hindon Airport
In 2017, the Ministry of Civil Aviation pre-emptively took up the idea of a civil enclave at Hindan with the IAF because slot constraints at the Indira Gandhi International Airport prevented the operation of flights under the government's Regional Connectivity Scheme called UDAN. The Indian Air Force permitted the Civil Aviation ministry to use the air base for civil operations in August 2017. The Hindan civil enclave would then become the second airport in the National Capital Region for flights operating under UDAN.Commercial flight operations from an airport within 150 kms of Delhi Airport were not allowed, according to an agreement signed between the government and Delhi International Airport Limited. Hence, the MoCA made a proposal, seeking clearance from DIAL for the temporary use of Hindan for flights awarded UDAN flights. DIAL approved the proposal in September 2017. When DIAL's on-going expansion of Delhi Airport is completed around September 2022, all UDAN operations would revert to Delhi Airport. all UDAN operations would revert to Delhi Airport.
The Uttar Pradesh government gave its approval for the project in March 2018.
The Indian Air Force permitted the Civil Aviation ministry to use the air base for civil operations in August 2017.
The Uttar Pradesh government gave its approval for the project in March 2018.
AAI began construction of the terminal in August 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the passenger terminal built at cost of 40 Crores on 08 March 2019 just before model code of conduct.
The operations from Hindan were expected to begin from 15 March. However, discussions on slot timings with the Indian Air Force regarding slots took longer than expected and the date for commencement of flight operations was pushed back to the first half of October 2019.
In May 2019, it was reported that the state government and AAI were considering making the airport permanent.
The first commercial flight from the Hindon took off on 11 October 2019. A Beechcraft King Air, operated by Heritage Aviation under the UDAN scheme, took off for Pithoragarh Airport with nine passengers on board.
Structure
The enclave has been built on 7.5 acres at Sikandarpur village in Sahibabad, adjacent the airbase. The terminal building is a pre-engineered, air-conditioned structure with eight check-in counters. The terminal covers an area of 5,425 square metres and has a capacity of serving 300 passengers an hour. The Car park can accommodate 90 cars.Air traffic control will be provided by the Indian Air Force. The terminal has been developed by AAI while the Uttar Pradesh government has built the connecting roads and provides electricity for the project.