INS Rajali Naval Air Station

INS Rajali, also informally known as Arakkonam Naval Air Station, (IATA: N/A, ICAO: VOAR) is an Indian naval air station located near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu in southern India. It operates under the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy and has the longest military runway in Asia.

As of 2010, INS Rajali is home to the navy's INAS 312 squadron which operates eight Tu-142MK-E aircraft. The aircraft are equipped for maritime patrol, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.

Indian Navy became the first international customer for the new P-8 Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft with the conclusion of the nearly US $ 2.1 billion contract on 01 Jan 2009 for a total of eight aircraft. The first aircraft arrived in India on the 15 May 2013 and as of November 2015; all eight a/c have been inducted into the Indian Navy and are fully integrated into its operations.

INS Rajali is also home to the navy's Helicopter Training School.

During the 2015 South India Floods when Chennai International Airport was closed due to floodwaters, INS Rajali was used as a makeshift airport for relief operations as well as limited commercial flights. Some passengers had been brought from flooded areas by helicopter.

Commuter services on the Chennai Suburban Railway were operated from Arakkonam Junction for the benefit of passengers coming by air through Rajali.

folder_open  Airports in Tamil Nadu