History
The aerodrome started off as an unpaved airfield in 1928. It was used by the then newly-established Bombay Flying Club for teaching, joy-rides, and air travel. The activities of the club were limited by the fact that the aerodrome at Juhu was not suitable during the monsoon. Much progress had been made in the layout of the ground of the aerodrome by 1932, although the ground was still not fit for use during that year's monsoon. J. R. D. Tata, the father of civil aviation in India, made his maiden voyage to Juhu airport from Drigh Road Airstrip in Karachi, via Ahmedabad, on 15 October 1932 carrying mail in a Puss Moth aircraft. The Tata Airmail Service, as it was called, continued on to Pune, Bellary, and Madras.
This was the birth of Air India, which, in 1932, was based here out of a hut with a palm thatched roof and had 1 pilot and 2 apprentice mechanics with 2 piston engined aircraft, a Puss Moth and a Leopard Moth.
Two bitumen runways - one aligned East-West and the other North-NorthWest - South-SouthEast were laid in 1936. During the monsoons, operations had to be shifted to Poona due to water logging. A third runway was planned for construction in 1939 but this never occurred. It served as the city's airport up to and during the World War II.
Waterlogging during the monsoon and the absence of proper runways for monsoon take-offs were serious drawbacks for Juhu aerodrome. The former problem was addressed by replacement of the bitumen runways with concrete runways in 1937, while proper runways, night flying facilities, hangars, etc. were provided in the following year. At least two airlines were based out of Juhu during this period; Air Services of India, Ltd. and Tata Sons, Ltd.
The airport served as the city's sole airport till Santacruz airport, now Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, was built in 1948. Santacruz airport is within a 2 km radius of Juhu aerodrome and this proximity of the two airports often caused confusion among pilots, leading to a permanent notice to airmen being issued by the Airports Authority of India cautioning that Santacruz's runway 09/27 should not be confused with runway 08/26 at Juhu. Juhu Aerodrome continued to be used however, such as by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948 as well as by the ailing Vallabhbhai Patel (then Deputy Prime Minister) who landed at Juhu in December 1950 to avoid large crowds that had gathered at Santacruz Airport to greet him.
Read more about this topic: Juhu Aerodrome
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