Bishnupur Airfield

Military abandonment following the end of World War II. The airfield was built for a specific strategic purpose—supporting the Allied Burma Campaign—and became redundant once the war concluded. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) units stationed there were reassigned or demobilized, and the facility was handed over to the British colonial authorities before being abandoned.

The airfield is currently abandoned and in a state of disrepair. The main runway and taxiways are still visible from satellite imagery, but they are heavily deteriorated, fragmented, and largely overgrown with vegetation. There are no airport facilities, buildings, or aviation infrastructure remaining. Parts of the concrete runway and hardstands are reportedly used by local villagers as a makeshift road, for drying crops, and as a public open space. The land is largely reclaimed by nature and is not used for any official aviation purposes.

Bishnupur Airfield was a significant forward combat airfield constructed in 1943 by the Allied forces during World War II. It served as a major base for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Tenth Air Force in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater. Its primary role was to support strategic bombing and interdiction missions against Japanese forces in Burma. The airfield was home to the 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and its B-24 Liberator heavy bombers from October 1944 to June 1945. The squadrons operating from Bishnupur (including the 9th, 436th, 492nd, and 493rd Bomb Squadrons) conducted numerous raids on key enemy infrastructure such as bridges, supply depots, railway lines, and troop concentrations, playing a crucial role in disrupting Japanese logistics and supporting the advance of Allied ground troops.

There are no concrete or officially sanctioned plans for reopening the airfield at present. However, due to Bishnupur's importance as a major tourist destination (famous for its terracotta temples), there have been periodic discussions and proposals by local and state authorities to develop the old airstrip to boost tourism. The site has been considered for inclusion in India's regional connectivity scheme (RCS-UDAN) in the past, but these discussions have not yet materialized into a funded project with a defined timeline. As of now, its reopening remains a speculative prospect rather than an active plan.