INS Garuda (Willingdon Island, Kochi)

INS Garuda is an Indian Naval Air Arm station located on Willingdon Island in Kochi, Kerala. It is situated adjacent to INS Venduruthy, the headquarters of the Southern Naval Command. Built in 1936 by the Cochin Port Trust, the airstrip was taken over by the Royal Air Force in 1941. The Indian Air Force Volunteer Reserve No. 5 Coastal Defence Flight operated Westland Wapiti II aircraft from the station until December 1942. In 1943, the facility was transferred to the Royal Navy, which established an aircraft repair yard. Following the war, the infrastructure was transferred to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 1946. On January 1, 1953, the aviation facilities were transferred to the Indian Navy to support the acquisition of Short Sealand aircraft. The facility was officially commissioned as INS Garuda on May 11, 1953, making it the oldest operating air station of the Indian Navy. A civil enclave operated at the station until July 1999.

The station operates as an operational base and naval air training center. It hosts multiple Indian Naval Air Squadrons (INAS). INAS 550 operates Dornier 228 aircraft for reconnaissance and training. INAS 336 conducts anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and advanced training with Westland Sea King Mk 42B helicopters. INAS 321 and INAS 322 perform search and rescue and logistics missions using HAL Chetak and HAL Dhruv helicopters, respectively. INAS 334 is an ASW squadron operating Sikorsky MH-60R SeaHawk helicopters. INAS 342 operates IAI Heron and IAI Searcher Mk. II unmanned aerial vehicles. Additionally, the base houses a Coast Guard Air Enclave featuring CGAS 747 operating Dornier 228s, CGAS 845 operating Dhruv Mk III helicopters, and the Kochi Chetak Flight.

The base infrastructure includes two intersecting runways. INS Garuda houses several naval aviation training schools, including the Observer School for maritime reconnaissance and evacuation missions, the School for Naval Airmen, and the Naval Institute of Aviation Technology. The Aeronautical Training Institute provides aircraft maintenance instruction, and the base also hosts the School for Naval Oceanography and Meteorology. Facilities include airborne ASW operations training capabilities affiliated with the ASW School at INS Venduruthy, utilizing a Thales Underwater Systems Low Frequency Analysis & Recording (LOFAR) training simulator.