Royal Air Force Santa Cruz or more simply Santa Cruz is a former

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

station in Bombay (now called

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

), then

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

which saw extensive use in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

The Airfield was constructed in the 1930s when the nearby

Juhu Aerodrome Juhu Aerodrome is located in Juhu, an upmarket residential suburb of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is served primarily by general aviation aircraft and helicopters. Page 52 It was founded in 1928 as one of India's first civil aviation airpo ...

, located close by, could not cope with the fighters, bombers and other large transport planes of the Air Force, that required longer and stronger runways. Santa Cruz Airfield covered an area of about 1,500 acres (607 hectares). It had three runways originally and built as a standard Class A airfield, the main feature of which was a set of three intersecting concrete runways placed in a triangular pattern. The technical area and apron were located to the south between 09/27 and 14/32 and connected to a wide perimeter track. After the end of the War, the airport was handed over to the Director General of Civil Aviation for Civil operations and continues civilian operations.

Squadrons

Numerous Fighter Squadrons and support units were stationed at Santa Cruz from 1942 to 1947.

Current use

It is now part of the

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the international airport serving Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second-busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Cruz Airports in Maharashtra Airports in Mumbai Royal Air Force stations in Asia Royal Air Force stations of World War II in Asia World War II sites in India 1930 establishments in British India

History

Squadrons

Current use

See also

References