Tambaram Air Force Station

Tambaram Air Force Station (VOTX) in Chennai, India, is primarily a military airfield dedicated to the Indian Air Force, mainly for training pilots and airmen. Consequently, there are no publicly available recent traveler reviews or experiences in the traditional sense, as it does not operate as a commercial airport for general civilian passenger traffic. Therefore, typical traveler sentiments, satisfaction levels, terminal facilities, security wait times, or common complaints from commercial passengers are not applicable or documented.

However, there have been discussions and plans regarding potential future limited civilian use of the station.

Potential Future Civilian Use & Private Aviation:

• Handling Smaller Civilian Aircraft: There are plans to utilize Tambaram Air Force Station to accommodate smaller civilian ATR aircraft (with a capacity of 70-80 passengers) to help decongest Chennai International Airport.
• Mini Terminal for Passengers: As part of these plans, a mini terminal would be constructed to facilitate check-in and check-out procedures for passengers on these smaller aircraft.
• Private and Chartered Flight Services: Aviation service providers like JetMate Aviation offer ground handling, passenger, cargo, and baggage services, including Customs and Immigration Services at Tambaram Air Force Station, indicating its use by private or chartered flights.
• Aviation Fuel Services: Services for aviation fuel (Jet A1, AVGAS) are also available, catering to aircraft operating from the station.

Considerations for Civilian Operations (Historical/Planned Discussions):

• Operational Challenges: Past discussions highlighted the impracticality of fully converting Tambaram AFS into a commercial airport due to its vital military training and operational roles, limited space for commercial infrastructure, and proximity to Chennai International Airport, which could lead to air traffic control issues.
• Runway Capacity: While the station has two runways, one is prominently used, and issues with runway length for larger jets have been noted in past incidents where commercial planes accidentally landed there.

In summary, Tambaram Air Force Station remains a military installation. While there have been ongoing discussions and plans for its limited future use to handle smaller civilian aircraft and it caters to private/chartered aviation services, it does not currently operate as a public commercial airport, and thus, traveler reviews for commercial flights are not available.