Hindon AFS

Air Force Station Hindon, also known as Hindon AFS, is an Indian Air Force base operating under the Western Air Command. It is located near Loni Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, on the outskirts of Delhi, close to the Hindon River. The base serves as a military airbase and also accommodates a civil enclave operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) as part of the government's Regional Connectivity Scheme. The base features one runway, aligned east–west (09-27), with an asphalt concrete surface. It is home to the IAF C-17 Globemaster and the IAF C-130J Super Hercules, which form the backbone of the Indian Air Force's Strategic Heavy Air Lift division. The Garud Commando Force of the Indian Air Force also conducts training at this base. Historically, Hindon hosted MiG-23s and MiG-27s. Following the 1965 war, No. 7 Squadron IAF with Hawker Hunters was stationed there until 1969, and No. 3 Squadron with Mystère IVAs operated from Hindon in the early 1970s. In 1997, after a series of bird-strike related incidents, it ceased to be a fighter base, primarily hosting Avros, Mi-17 helicopters, and transport aircraft. However, its strategic importance for providing air cover to the capital led to its reactivation in 2003. Since 2006, the annual Air Force Day Parade venue was shifted from Palam Airport to Hindon. In 2007, Hindon was opened to civilian flights through a pilot project for joint airspace management between AAI and IAF. After the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, MiG-29s were moved to the air base to protect the capital from aerial threats. As part of the Modernization of Air Field Infrastructure programme, the Hindon runway was extended, and modern hangars and facilities were added to support C-130J and C-17 aircraft operations. The civil enclave at Hindon was inaugurated in March 2019 to facilitate regional flights.