The Indian Air Force currently operates seven Air Commands. Each command is headed by an Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the rank of Air Marshal.
The Air Force currently has over 60 air stations all over India. These are grouped into seven commands: Western Air Command at New Delhi, Eastern Air Command at Shillong, Central Air Command at Prayagraj, Southern Air Command at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), South Western Air Command at Gandhinagar, Training Command at Bangalore and Maintenance Command at Nagpur. The largest airbase is in Gujarat.
There are a number of newer air stations being built as well, in line with India’s strategic doctrine. The Indian Navy has some separate air stations for its aviation wing.
Western Air Command is the largest Air Command. It operates sixteen air stations from Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and a couple of Air stations in Uttar Pradesh. Eastern Air Command operates fifteen air stations in eastern and north-eastern India. Central Air Command operates two air stations in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and surrounding states of central India. Southern Air Command’s tasks include protecting the vital shipping routes. It operates nine air stations in Southern India and two in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. South Western Air Command is the front line of defence against Pakistan. This important command operates twelve air stations in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
List of air stations
Note: Station and unit details are from Scramble.nl (2009) and outdated. Article needs to be revised/updated.
Station | ICAO | Runway | Elevation | Geographical coordinates | State/territory | Units |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western Air Command | ||||||
Adampur AFS | VIAX | 13/31 | 775 ft / 236 m | 31.434879°N 75.757256°E | Punjab | 8 Wing, 47 Squadron, 223 Squadron |
Ambala AFS | VIAM | 12L/30R 12R/30L |
900 ft / 274 m | 30°22′14″N 76°49′4″E | Haryana | 7 Wing, No. 5 Squadron, 14 Squadron and 17 Squadron, 14Sqn Missile and UAV Squadron 2209 & Squadron 2251S |
Amritsar AFS | VIAR | 16/34 | 755 ft / 230 m | 31°42′28″N 74°47′57″E | Punjab | 1 FBSU ( Forward Base Support Unit) |
Awantipur AFS | VIAW | 12/30 | 5,400 ft / 1,646 m | 33°52′35.86″N 74°58′32.45″E | Jammu & Kashmir | 8 FBSU |
Bathinda AFS | VIBT | 13/31 | 700 ft /213 m | 30.268848°N 74.757430°E | Punjab | 34 Wing, No. 17 Squadron |
Chandigarh AFS | VICG | 11/29 | 1,012 ft / 308 m | 30.676290°N 76.788535°E | Chandigarh | 12 Wing, 25, 48 Squadrons |
Gurugram AFS | Logistics base | 28.437098°N 77.028544°E | Haryana | Information Fusion Centre (IFC) and Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC). | ||
Faridabad AFS | Logistics base | 28.371888°N 77.276432°E | Haryana | 54 ASP, 56th Air Storage Park, Guard dog training. | ||
Halwara AFS | VIHX | 13/31 | 790 ft / 241 m | 30.748041°N 75.633209°E | Punjab | 9 Wing, |
Hindon AFS | VIDX | 09/27 | 700 ft / 213 m | 28.707647°N 77.359340°E | Uttar Pradesh | 28 Wing, 77 Squadron, 131 FAC Flight, 181 Flight |
Vadsar AFS | AFS | – | – | 23.146200°N 72.481270°E | Gujarat | – |
Leh AFS | VILH | 06/24 07R/25L 07L/25R |
10,682 ft/ 3,256 m | 34.137216°N 77.546614°E | Ladakh | 21 Wing, AF |
Palam AFS | VIDP | 09/27 10/28 |
776 ft / 237 m | 28.573736°N 77.114610°E | Delhi | 3 Wing |
Pathankot AFS | VIPK | 01/19 | 1,017 ft / 310 m | 32.236929°N 75.633227°E | Punjab | 18 Wing, 26, 108 Squadrons |
Sarsawa AFS | VISP | 09/27 | 891 ft / 272 m | 29.993718°N 77.430671°E | Uttar Pradesh | 30 Wing, 117 HU, 152 HU (Mi-17) |
Siachen Glacier AFS | 22,000 ft / 6706 m | 35.5°N 77.0°E | Ladakh | |||
Sirsa AFS | VISA | 05/23 | 650 ft / 198 m | 29°33′46″N 75°00′19″E | Haryana | 45 Wing, 21 Squadron |
Srinagar AFS | VISR | 13/31 | 5,458 ft / 1,664 m | 33.994374°N 74.765299°E | Jammu & Kashmir | 1 Wing, 51 Squadron |
Udhampur AFS | VIUX | 18/36 | 1,950 ft / 594 m | 32.911503°N 75.154410°E | Jammu & Kashmir | HQ AOC J&K, IAF, 39 Wing, 132 FAC Flight, 152 HU |
Eastern Air Command | ||||||
Purnea AFS | VEBD | 18/36 | 412 ft / 125 m | 26°40′52″N 88°19′43″E | Bihar | 14FBSU |
Bagdogra AFS | VEBD | 18/36 | 412 ft / 125 m | 26°40′52″N 88°19′43″E | West Bengal | 20 Wing |
Barapani AFS | VEBI | 04/22 | 2910 ft / 886 m | 25°42′13″N 091°58′43″E | Meghalaya | |
Barrackpore AFS | VEBR | 02/20 | 18 ft / 5 m | 22°46′55″N 88°21′33″E | West Bengal | 6 Wing |
Chabua AFS | VECA | 05/23 | 350 ft / 107 m | 27°27′44″N 95°07′05″E | Assam | 14 Wing |
Hasimara AFS | 11L/29R 11R/29L |
340 ft /104 m | 26°41′53″N 89°22′08″E | West Bengal | 16 Wing, 22 Squadron, 791 SU. | |
Jorhat AFS | VEJT | 04/22 | 284 ft / 87 m | 26°43′54″N 94°10′32″E | Assam | 10 Wing |
Kalaikunda AFS | 17/35 | 200 ft / 60 m | 22°20′21.90″N 87°12′52.37″E | West Bengal | 5th Wing(Sqdn18 with MiG27s & OCU with MiG21s) | |
Kumbhigram AFS | VEKU | 06/24 | 352 ft / 107 m | 24°54′47″N 92°58′43″E | Assam | 22 Wing |
Mohanbari AFS | VEMN | 05/23 | 361 ft / 110 m | 27°28′50″N 95°01′18″E | Assam | 42 Wing |
Mountain Shadow AFS | VEGT | 05/23 | 350 ft / 107 m | 26°06′22″N 91°35′09″E | Assam | |
Panagarh AFS | VEPH | 15/33 | 240 ft / 73 m | 23°28′28″N 87°25′39″E | West Bengal | 62 SU, 87 Squadron |
Tawang AFS | 8,756 ft / 2,669 m | 27°35′19″N 91°52′40″E | Arunachal Pradesh | |||
Tezpur AFS | VETZ | 04/22 | 240 ft / 73 m | 26°42′44″N 92°47′14″E | Assam | 11 Wing |
Central Air Command | ||||||
Agra AFS | VIAG | 05/23 12/30 |
551 ft 167 m | 27°09′27″N 77°57′39″E | Uttar Pradesh | 4 Wing |
Bakshi Ka Talab AFS | VIBL | 09/27 | 385 ft/ 117 m | 26°59′19″N 80°53′29″E | Uttar Pradesh | |
Bamrauli AFS | VEAB | 06/24 12/30 |
322 ft/ 98 m | 25°26′24″N 81°44′02″E | Uttar Pradesh | 29 Wing |
Bareilly AFS | VIBY | 11/29 | 565 ft/ 172 m | 28°25′21″N 79°26′49″E | Uttar Pradesh | 15 Wing |
Bihta AFS | 07/25 | 52 ft 170 m | 25°35′27″N 84°53′00″E | Bihar | ||
Chakeri AFS | VICX | 01/19 09/27 |
410 ft/124 m | 26°24′10″N 80°24′44″E | Uttar Pradesh | |
Darbhanga AFS | VEDB | 14/28 | 21 ft / 38 m | 26°11′41″N 85°55′03″E | Bihar | |
Gorakhpur AFS | VEGK | 11/29 | 259 ft / 78 m | 26°44′22″N 83°26′58″E | Uttar Pradesh | 17 Wing |
Maharajpur AFS | VIGR | 06/24 | 617 ft / 188 m | 26°17′36″N 78°13′40″E | Madhya Pradesh | 40 Wing |
Southern Air Command | ||||||
Car Nicobar AFS | VOCX | 02/20 | 42 ft / 13 m | 09°09′09″N 092°49′11″E | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 37 Wing |
Sulur AFS | VOSX | 05/23 | 1,250 ft / 381 m | 11°00′49″N 077°09′35″E | Tamil Nadu | 43 Wing, 5 BRD, 109 Helicopter Unit, 33 Squadron, 151 Squadron, 18 Squadron, 45 Squadron, 24 TETTRA School, 6 AFH |
Madurai AFS | VOMD | 09/27 | 461 ft / 141 m | 09°50′01″N 078°05′22″E | Tamil Nadu | |
Port Blair AFS | VOPB | 04/22 | 16 m /5 m | 11°38′28″N 92°43′47″E | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | |
Tambaram AFS | VOTX | 05/23 12/30 |
90 ft / 27 m | 12°54′25″N 80°07′16″E | Tamil Nadu | |
Thanjavur AFS | VOTJ | 07/25 | 253 ft / 77 m | 10°43′20″N 079°06′05″E | Tamil Nadu | 47 Wing, No. 222 Squadron IAF |
Thiruvananthapuram AFS | VOTV | 14/32 | 13 ft / 4 m | 8.48°N 76.92°E | Kerala | HQ |
South Western Air Command | ||||||
Suratgarh AFS | 05/23 | 560 ft / 170 m | 29°23′16″N 073°54′14″E | Rajasthan | ||
Bhuj AFS | VABJ | 05/23 | 268 ft / 82 m | 23°17′16″N 69°40′12″E | Gujarat | No. 27 Wing AF, No. 15 Squadron IAF |
Jaisalmer AFS | VIJR | 04/22 | 887 ft / 270 m | 26°53′21″N 70°51′52″E | Rajasthan | 41 Wing |
Jamnagar AFS | VAJM | 06/24 12/30 |
69 ft / 21 m | 22°27′59″N 70°00′41″E | Gujarat | No. 33 Wing AF, No. 6 Squadron IAF, No. 28 Squadron IAF |
Jodhpur AFS | VIJO | 05/23 | 717 ft / 219 m | 26°15′05″N 73°02′53″E | Rajasthan | No. 32 Wing AF, 10, 29, 32, 37 Squadrons |
Lohegaon AFS | VAPO | 10/28 14/32 |
1,942 ft / 592 m | 18°34′55″N 73°55′10″E | Maharashtra | No. 2 Wing AF, 20, 30 Squadrons |
Nal-Bikaner AFS | VIBK | 05/23 | 750 ft / 229 m | 28°04′21″N 73°12′24″E | Rajasthan | 46 Wing |
Naliya AFS | 06/24 | 68 ft / 21 m | 23°13′12″N 68°54′00″E | Gujarat | ||
Phalodi AFS | 05/23 | 700 ft / 213 m | 27°06′46″N 72°23′20″E | Rajasthan | No. 35 Wing AF, No. 23 Squadron IAF, 104 HU | |
Uttarlai AFS | VIUT | 02/20 | 500 ft / 152 m | 25°48′46″N 71°28′56″E | Rajasthan | 5 FBSU, No. 4 Squadron IAF |
Makarpura AFS | VABO | 04/22 | 127 ft / 38.7 m | 22°19′46″N 73°13′10″E | Gujarat | 36 Wing, 11 Squadron, 25 Squadron |
Training Command | ||||||
Begumpet AFS | VOHY | 09/27 14/32 |
1,741 ft / 531 m | 17°27′08″N 78°27′40″E | Telangana | |
Bidar AFS | VOBR | 02/20 08/26 |
2,178 ft / 663 m | 17°54′28″N 77°29′09″E | Karnataka | |
Dundigal AFS | VODG | 10L/28R 10R/28L |
2,013 ft / 614 m | 17°37′45″N 78°24′12″E | Telangana | |
Hakimpet AFS | VOHK | 09/27 | 2,020 ft / 616 m | 17°33′12″N 78°31′29″E | Telangana | |
Yelahanka Air Force Station | VOYK | 09/27 | 3,045 ft / 928 m | 13°08′09″N 77°36′20″E | Karnataka | |
Admin Training Inst, Sambra, Belgaum | 2,500 ft / 762 m | 15°51′00″N 74°30′00″E | Karnataka | |||
Maintenance Command | ||||||
Nagpur Air Force Station | VANP | 09/27 14/32 |
1,012 ft /308 m | 21°05′31″N 79°02′49″E | Maharashtra | 44 Wing |
Ojhar AFS | VAOZ | 08/26 | 1,900 ft / 579 m | 20°07′10″N 073°54′49″E | Maharashtra | 11 BRD |
Devlali AFS | helicopter maintenance unit | 19°51′18.36″N 73°48′13.5″E | Maharashtra |
The other Air Force stations that come under Maintenance Command are not air stations and are mostly signal units and station repair depots situated in different towns. Delhi, for example, has a few BRDs and SUs that come under Maintenance Command.
List of advance landing grounds
Along China border
Chinese Military has an integrated Western Theater Command across the whole LAC with India. Indian Military has divided the LAC into 3 sectors – the western sector across Ladakh and the Chinese-held Aksai Chin, the central sector across Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand states, and the eastern sector across Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh states. Similarly, Indian Airforce has Prayagraj-based Western Air Command, Delhi-based Central Air Command, and Shillong-based Eastern Air Command to cover the LAC.
- Ladakh
- Daulat Beg Oldi ALG serves Trans-Karakoram Tract (Shaksgam), Aksai Chin and Siachen disputed area.
- Fukche ALG serves Demchok, Trans-Karakoram Tract and Aksai Chin disputed area.
- Leh Airport serves Trans-Karakoram Tract, Aksai Chin amnd Siachen disputed area.
- Nyoma ALG serves two separate noncontiguous but closely located disputed twin areas of Chumar North and Chumar South.
- Padum ALG Serves Ladakh LAC and Kashmir LOC as second line of defence airport.
- Thoise ALG
- Himachal Pradesh shares 250 km border with Tibet (China).
- Shimla Airport, civil airport available for military use. Serves Kaurik, Tashigang-Shipki La and Nelang-Pulam Sumda disputed area.
- Kullu-Manali Airport, civil airport available for military use. Serves Kaurik, Tashigang-Shipki La, and Nelang-Pulam Sumda disputed area.
- Kibber-Rangrik, surveyed but as of July 2020 no progress has been made. Will be closest ALG to Chumar, Kaurik, and Tashigang-Shipki La disputed area.
- Uttrakhand has 350 km border with Tibet.
- Chinyalisaur Airport ALG serves disputed Bara Hoti and Nelang-Pulam Sumda sector. ITBP has 42 BoPs (border outposts) in Bara Hoti sector and Mana Pass area (Nelang-Pulam Sumda sector).
- Pithoragarh Airport ALG serves disputed Kalapani territory.
- Sikkim
- Pakyong Airport AGL serves Doklam disputed area.
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Aalo ALG, formerly Along,
- Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground ALG
- Pasighat ALG
- Tawang Air Force Station
- Tuting ALG
- Vijoynagar ALG
- Walong Advanced Landing Ground (Walong ALG)
- Ziro ALG
- Daporijo ALG, Arunachal Pradesh
- Alinye (ALG), Dibang Valley District, Arunachal Pradesh
Along Pakistan border
- Ladakh
- Thoise ALG
Highway landing grounds
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bangarmau Airstrip, on Agra Lucknow Expressway
See also
- Similar capabilities lists
- India-China Border Roads
- Indian military satellites
- List of Indian Navy bases
- List of active Indian Navy ships
- India’s overseas military bases
- Indian Nuclear Command Authority
- Adversary topics
- Western Theater Command, China
- East, Central and Western Command LAC, of India
- List of People’s Liberation Army Air Force airbases
- Sino-Indian border dispute
- Other related topics
- Armed Forces Special Operations Division
- Defence Cyber Agency
- Integrated Defence Staff
- Indian Armed Forces
- Strategic Forces Command
- Special Forces of India