Air Landing School (ALS) Willingdon Airport, New Delhi, India

The Air Landing School, Willingdon Airport, New Delhi, India.

Willingdon Airfield, as it was first known, was named after Lord Willingdon, the Viceroy and Governor-General of India (1931–36). As New Delhi’s first airport, it initially consisted of grass runways and tents. The first airmail flight arrived on 30 November 1918. Also in the same year, the first London-Cairo-Delhi flight landed. It took another decade for a complete airport infrastructure to be built, when the first commercial flight landed in 1927. In 1928, Willingdon Airfield was renamed ‘Willingdon Airport’ and Delhi Flying Club was established.

The first aircraft that touched down in Delhi were small bi-planes like de Havilland’s Puss Moth and Tiger Moth. The first aircraft carrying passengers were operated by Dutch airline KLM, which were stopover flights.

The Air Landing School, India, established for the purpose of training an Indian Army parachute formation, opened in the south-west corner of the airport on the 22 September 1941. The first Commanding Officer was Wing Commander JHD. Chappel, RAF. His Chief Parachute Instructor was Flying Officer W. Brereton, MBE, RAF. The senior Army Officer was Major EJ. Martin.

The formation that would be formed was to be called the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade, and its major formations would be:

151 British Parachute Battalion.

152 Indian Parachute Battalion.

153 Indian Parachute Battalion.

The first official Army Parachute Course began on the 10 November 1941, and consisted of eleven Officers and thirteen Other Ranks of the 151 British Parachute Battalion.

The Air Landing School remained at Willingdon for just over a year, before moving to Chaklala on the 14 October 1942, where it was to remain until partition in 1947.

Willingdon Airport was renamed in 1947, and it is now called Safdarjung Airport.