Agra AFS
Summary
Operating Country | 🇮🇳 India |
Location | 🇮🇳 India |
Status | ◉ Active |
Usage | Dual |
Year built | 1947 |
Operating Organization | Indian Air Force |
Units |
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Description
Agra Airport, also known as Kheria Airport, is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force base located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is one of the largest airbases of the Indian Air Force. The station was opened during World War II as Royal Air Forces Station Agra. During this period, the United States Army Air Forces Air Technical Service Command established a major maintenance and supply facility here, known as "Agra Air Depot." This depot serviced various aircraft and stockpiled materials for shipment over the Himalayan Mountains ("The Hump") to forward airfields in China. It also served as a significant stopover point on the Air Transport Command Karachi-Kunming air transport route.
After World War II, the base was transferred to the Royal Indian Air Force and was established as Air Force Station Agra on 15 August 1947. Initially under the Western Air Command, it was transferred to the Central Air Command in July 1971, where it remains. Over its history, the base has hosted aircraft such as C-47 Dakotas, C-119 Packets, HS 748 'Avros', AN-12s, AN-32s, IL-76s, Canberras, IL-78 MKI, and Airborne Early Warning and Control/AWACS platforms. Currently, it holds the No. 78 ‘Mid Air Refuelling Squadron’ (MARS) flying IL-78MKIs. Other units operating from the base include No. 12 Squadron (An-32), No. 50 Squadron (Beriev A-50EI), and an unnamed flying squadron (C-295). The airport is served by two concrete runways: 05/23 and 12/30. The civil terminal is undergoing a planned expansion to accommodate growing traffic, with construction slated to begin by the second half of 2025 and completion by late 2027 or early 2028.