Safdarjung Airport is an airport in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, in the

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...

of the same name. Established during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

as Willingdon Airfield, it started operations as an

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

in 1929, when it was India's second

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

after the Juhu Aerodrome in Mumbai. It was used extensively during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

as it was part of the South Atlantic air ferry route, and later during Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. Once situated on the edge of

Lutyens' Delhi Lutyens' Delhi is an area in New Delhi, India, named after the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944), who was responsible for much of the architectural design and building during the period of the British Raj, when India was part o ...

, today, it has the entire city of New Delhi around it. It remained the city's main airport until 1962, when operations shifted to

Palam Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, D ...

completely by the late 1960s, as it could not support the new bigger aircraft such as jet aircraft. The ''Delhi Flying Club'' was established here in 1928 with two

de Havilland Moth The de Havilland Moths were a series of light aircraft, sports planes, and military trainers designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. In the late 1920s and 1930s, they were the most common civilian aircraft flying in Britain, and during that time ever ...

aircraft named ‘Delhi’ and ‘Roshanara’. The airport functioned until 2001, however in January 2002, due to security considerations in the post 9/11 scenario, the government closed the airport for flying activities, the club only carries out aircraft maintenance courses today. Today it is mostly used for

VVIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples incl ...

helicopter passenger flights to the

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, Delhi, southwest of the New ...

including the President and the Prime Minister. The 190 acre airport complex, has

Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan is the corporate headquarters of Airports Authority of India (AAI). AAI which functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and manages most of the airports in India. The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation is co-located in ...

on its grounds, which houses the Ministry of Civil Aviation as well as the headquarters of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

History

Willingdon Airfield, as it was first known, was named after

Lord Willingdon Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (12 September 1866 – 12 August 1941), was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and ...

, the

Viceroy and Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

(1931–36). As New Delhi's first airport, it initially used grass runways and tents. The first

airmail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be t ...

flight arrived on 30 November 1918. Also in the same year, the first London-Cairo-Delhi flight landed. It took another decade for complete airport infrastructure to come up, when the first

commercial flight Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for remuneration or hire, as opposed to private aviation. Definition Commercial aviation is not a rigorously defined category. All commercial air transport and aer ...

landed in 1927. In 1928, Willingdon Airfield was renamed 'Willingdon Airport' and Delhi Flying Club was established. In 1941, when the British Indian Army decided to raise its own airborne/parachute units, the southwest corner of the airport served as the site where the Air Landing School (ALS) of the

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the Indian Army, and Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The Indian Air Force was offi ...

was located and started operations. It was here the first paratroopers in India were trained, which included the first Indian

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...

, Lt (later Col) AG Ranjaraj, MVC, (Indian Medical Service and the Regimental Medical Officer of the 152 (Indian) Parachute Battalion) and earned their wings. ;Units *

Air Headquarters India Communication Squadron RAF The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Gravity of Earth, Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating Atmo ...

* Base Air Forces, Southeast Asia Communication Squadron RAF *

Headquarters Air Command Southeast Asia (Communication) Squadron RAF Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

Post-independence

Post-independence in 1947, Willingdon was renamed Safdarjung, after nearby

Safdarjung's Tomb Safdarjung's tomb is a sandstone and marble mausoleum in Delhi, India. It was built in 1754 in the late Mughal Empire style for Nawab Safdarjung. The monument has an ambience of spaciousness and an imposing presence with its domed and arched ...

, which serves as a backdrop to the airport. It served as Delhi's main airport for over two decades, until a new site was chosen in west Delhi, known as Palam, then on city's outskirts, giving its

. Palam Airport, started as RAF Station Palam, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, is now much enlarged and known as

, where the passenger operations were shifted in 1962 due to an increase in traffic. It is still used for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

purposes and small propeller planes take off and land from the airport. However, planes are cautioned when landing, since the airport is situated right next to a flyover highway.

is the airport serving New Delhi; a much larger airport with three runways and over sixty domestic and international carriers serving it. In 2001, after 9/11 the

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

decided to use the airport as the emergency getaway for the President and the PM. Thereafter in 2002, for security considerations, the government closed the airport for all public flying activities, and all Delhi Flying Club (DFC) flights were shifted to

Hisar Airport Hisar Airport , officially known as Maharaja Agrasen International Airport existing as domestic airport presently under upgrade by 30 March 2024 , is a DGCA-licensed public airport serving Hisar in Haryana state of India. It is located north ...

. Since then, the airport is largely being used for VVIP helicopter transit to the

for security reasons and also to avoid blocking vehicular traffic during the process. Since the early 2000s, when going on foreign trip, the PM receives his send-offs from his cabinet members and other dignitaries here, instead of the main airport. The airstrip is also used for small aircraft of state chief ministers such as those of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

and

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...

, making it to 80 to 90 helicopter movements every month. and occasionally by Airport Authority of India, and Helicopter service company,

Pawan Hans Pawan Hans Limited is a central public sector undertaking based at Noida in Delhi NCR, India. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It has cumulatively flown more than 1 million hours and has had ...

. During the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...

, it was used as a park-and-ride facility, for parking of vehicles for those going to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Spread over 1,70,000 sq.m., the parking area could accommodate 3000 cars, 6000 two-wheelers and 450 buses of the shuttle service bus. In a year-long project, the NDMC undertook extensive renovation of the area, which included construction of new roads within the airport premises, and installation of

jersey barrier A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...

s between the main tarmac and temporary parking area. A long tunnel connects the Indian prime minister's residence to Safdarjung Airport, where VVIP helicopters land. Constructed beyond Kemal Atatürk Marg, Golf Course and

Safdarjung Tomb Abul Mansur Mirza Muhammad Muqim Ali Khan (c. 1708 – 5 October 1754), better known as Safdar Jang, was a major figure at the Mughal court during the declining years of the Mughal Empire. He became the second Nawab of Awadh when he succeeded S ...

and then an overground drive to surface at the helicopter hangar at the airport, work on the tunnel began in 2010 and was completed by July 2014 and Modi was the first PM to use it. Nearby residential areas of this airport are Jorbagh,

Laxmibai Nagar Laxmi Bai Nagar is a VIP residential colony in New Delhi, India. Laxmi Bai, meaning "city of Lakshmibai", is named for the Rani (queen) of the Maratha-ruled Jhansi State in India, which is now a province of modern Uttar Pradesh state. She fough ...

INA Colony INA colony is a residential colony maintained by the Airports Authority of India for their employees. It was named after a former private airline, Indian National Airways, which was amongst those nationalised and merged to form, Indian Airli ...

which houses employees of Airport Authority, and Sarojini Nagar.

Facilities

The headquarters of the Airports Authority of India, which functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and manages most of the airports in India, and the ministry itself is located in ''

'' on the grounds of the airport. The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi has its Delhi liaison office in the administrative block of the airport.Contact Address
" Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi. Retrieved on 20 February 2012. "Head Office: Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi Fursatganj Airfield CSM Nagar 229302 U.P. INDIA" and "Liaison Office at Delhi: Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi Admin Block, Safdarjung Airport New Delhi - 110 003 INDIA" The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has its headquarters opposite of the airport. There is a special link from Prime Minister residence, 7 RCR (Now

7, Lok Kalyan Marg 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, formerly 7, Race Course Road, is the official residence and principal workplace of the Prime Minister of India. Situated on '' Lok Kalyan Marg'', New Delhi, the official name of the Prime Minister's residence complex is ''P ...

) to Safadarjung Airport. Safdarjung airport serves as a conduit for flying VVIPs to Indira Gandhi International Airport when they travel out of Delhi.

Accidents and incidents

*On 5 December 1970, Douglas DC-3 VT-CZC of

Jamair Jamair was a privately owned airline based in Calcutta, India and has served as non-scheduled charter as well as scheduled services. . History Jamair was formed in 1946 by James B Muff, a former Chief Engineer at China National Aviation Corpo ...

crashed shortly after take-off, following an engine failure. The aircraft was operating a non-scheduled passenger flight. Five of the sixteen people on board were killed. *

Sanjay Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi (14 December 1946 23 June 1980) was an Indian politician and the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi. He was a member of parliament, Lok Sabha and the Nehru–Gandhi family. During his lifetime, he was widely expected ...

died in an air crash on 23 June 1980 near Safdarjung Airport in

. He was flying a new aircraft of the Delhi Flying Club, and, while performing a loop over his office, lost control and crashed. The only passenger in the plane, Captain Subhash Saxena, was also killed in the plane crash. *During 1971–72, a

Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

training aircraft took off and crashed killing two training pilots, Rajinder Bhatia and Pawar.

Popular culture

Safdarjung Airport is the setting for part of ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comi ...

'' comic, ''

Tintin in Tibet ''Tintin in Tibet'' (french: Tintin au Tibet, link=no) is the twentieth volume of '' The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. It was serialised weekly from September 1958 to November 1959 in ''Tintin'' magaz ...

'', by

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...

Tintin Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to: ''The Adventures of Tintin'' * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series ** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...

, Snowy, and

Captain Haddock Captain Archibald Haddock (french: Capitaine Archibald Haddock, link=no, ) is a fictional character in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. He is one of Tintin's best friends, a seafaring pipe-smoking ...

have a stop-over in

, and they depart from Willingdon Airfield (now Safdarjung Airport).

References

Citations

Tussle over Safdarjung Airport
Times of India.
Delhi Flying Club, website

Bibliography

External links

Safdarjung Airport
at Airports Authority of India (AAI) {{Airports in India Defunct airports in India Airports in Delhi Aviation history of India History of the Indian Air Force Airports established in 1929 1929 establishments in India