Thanjavur Air Force Station | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Indian Air Force | ||||||||||
| Operator | Southern Air Command | ||||||||||
| Serves | Thanjavur | ||||||||||
| Location | Pilaiyarpatti, Thanjavur,Tamil Nadu,India | ||||||||||
| Built | 1940; 85 years ago (1940) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 253 ft / 77 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 10°43′20″N079°06′05″E / 10.72222°N 79.10139°E /10.72222; 79.10139 | ||||||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  TJV Location of airport in Tamil Nadu Show map of Tamil Nadu TJV TJV (India) Show map of India | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source:DAFIF[1][2] | |||||||||||
Thanjavur Air Force Station (IATA:TJV,ICAO:VOTJ) is anIndian Air Force base serving the city ofThanjavur inTamil Nadu,India. It is located 12 km (7.5 mi) south-west of the city in Pilaiyarpatti and near the village of Ravusapatti.[1] The air force base was expected to start functioning by 2012.[3] However, the schedule was delayed, and the air force base was inaugurated on 27 May 2013 by the thenMinister of Defence,A. K. Antony.[4]
The airfield was built and used by theRoyal Indian Air Force (RAAF) in 1940 duringWorld War II as a base for itsLockheed Hudson,Vickers Wellington,Hawker Hurricane, andP-47 Thunderbolt aircraft. After independence, the airfield was handed over to theGovernment of India for civilian use and eventually came under the jurisdiction of theAirports Authority of India (AAI). With the formation of theSouthern Air Command in 1984, a permission for 47thwing at the airfield was also provided and declared. In the early 1990s, the airport operated commercial flights toChennai viaVayudoot, which however, did not operate for long and was stopped due to poor patronage and financial struggles the airline faced, that caused it to cease operations in 1997. TheIndian Air Force (IAF) took over the airfield in March 1990. During the heavyfloods in Tamil Nadu in November 2008, IAF helicopters operating from Thanjavur dropped 15,000 kg of relief materials to the affected areas, operating from the air force base. The land acquisition for revamping the entire airfield began in 2006 and was completed and inaugurated by the former on 27 May 2013 by the formerMinister of Defence,A. K. Antony.[5][6][4]
To foster socio-economic development and growth, connectivity andtourism in the state, there have been repeated attempts by both thestate and thecentral governments to restart commercial operations in the airport, sinceVayudoot ceased operations in 1997. Such attempts have increased consistently after the conversion of the airport into a revamped air force base in 2013, also as part of thegovernment'sUDAN Scheme to develop more airports in India to improve connectivity and encourage people to travel by air. In December 2022, theAirports Authority of India (AAI) signed aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) with theIndian Air Force (IAF) for exchange of land to the AAI, so that they can regain their control over the airport and develop it for facilitating commercial operations, which they had until 1990. Out of 56.16 acres as the total land area, the IAF has granted 26.5 acres of land to AAI, where it has proposed to develop the airport as a passenger terminal. In November 2023, the AAI announced that the terminal and other associated world will be constructed at a cost ₹ 200 crore. The development works are expected to take at least a year to complete, after receiving nods from the state and central governments and theMinistry of Civil Aviation. Land acquisition for the project is yet to be done; meanwhile, the work on a 4-lane airport approach road is yet to be started after receiving permission and assistance from theGovernment of Tamil Nadu.[7][8]
The airport is situated at anelevation of 253 feet (77 m) abovemean sea level. It had tworunways withconcrete surfaces: 07/25, measuring 5,680 by 150 feet (1,731 m × 46 m), and 14/32, measuring 4,757 by 150 feet (1,450 m × 46 m), out of which the 14/32 runway has been now converted into a taxiway.[1]
It is home to theNo. 222 squadron of the IAF'sSukhoi Su-30 MKIfighter aircraft - the first IAF fighter squadron in Southern India.[9] A new helicopter unit composing ofChetak (SA 316B) helicopters was inducted in Thanjavur on 19 March 2024. The unit was tasked with peacetimeSearch and Rescue and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.[10][11]
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