Kalyan Airstrip

The closure was a direct result of the end of World War II. The airstrip was a temporary wartime base built by the RAF, and with the cessation of hostilities and the subsequent withdrawal of British forces from India, it no longer had a strategic military purpose and was handed over to the Indian government.

The site is currently in a state of disuse and significant disrepair. While remnants of the original runways are still visible on satellite imagery, the vast area is heavily encroached upon by illegal settlements, villages (like Nevali, from which it gets an alternative name), and some commercial/industrial structures. The land is technically under the ownership of the Indian Ministry of Defence (reportedly managed by the Indian Navy), but large portions are occupied by civilians. The former airfield is not used for any aviation activities.

Kalyan Airstrip, also known as RAF Kalyan or Nevali Airfield, was a major and one of the largest Allied airbases in Asia during World War II. Constructed around 1942, it served as a crucial transit and staging hub for the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). It played a vital role in the Burma Campaign, supporting operations against Japanese forces. The base was vast, featuring multiple runways, and handled a wide variety of aircraft, including transport planes like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, and bombers and fighters such as the B-24 Liberator, Supermarine Spitfire, and Hawker Hurricane. After the war, it was briefly used to repatriate troops and equipment before being abandoned.

For many years, the Kalyan Airstrip site was a primary candidate for the development of a second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to decongest the main Mumbai airport (CSMIA). However, the project faced significant hurdles, including massive land encroachment requiring the rehabilitation of thousands of residents and complex land ownership issues. The government ultimately prioritized the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). While the immediate focus is on NMIA, the Kalyan site remains a long-term prospect. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the state government have periodically revisited the idea, suggesting it could be developed in the future as a domestic airport, a cargo hub, or a facility for general aviation once NMIA reaches capacity. As of now, there are no active, concrete plans for its immediate reopening.