RAF Santacruz


RAF Santacruz was a Royal Air Force airfield in Bombay, then British India which saw extensive use in World War II.

History

The Airfield was constructed in the 1930s when the nearby Juhu Aerodrome, 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. The Santacruz Airfield covered an area of about 1,500 acres. 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 Santacruz from 1942 to 1947.
UnitDatesAircraftVariantNotes
No. 159 Squadron RAF1945-1946Consolidated LiberatorMk.VIIIDetachment from RAF Salbani, West Bengal
No. 203 Squadron RAFNovember 1943-October 1944:Vickers WellingtonCoastal patrols
No. 217 Squadron RAF1947
No. 244 Squadron RAF

Current use

It is now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.