Tamil Nadu
Air and space

The aviation history of the state began in 1910, when Giacomo D'Angelis built the first powered flight in Asia and tested it in Island Grounds. In 1915, Tata Air Mail started an airmail service between Karachi and Madras, marking the beginning of civil aviation in India. On 15 October 1932, J. R. D. Tata flew a Puss Moth aircraft carrying air mail from Karachi to Bombay 's Juhu Airstrip and the flight was continued to Madras piloted by aviator Nevill Vintcent marking the first scheduled commercial flight. There are three international, one limited international and six domestic or private airports in Tamil Nadu.

Chennai airport, which is the fourth busiest airport by passenger traffic in India, is a major international airport and the main gateway to the state. Other international airports in the state include Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli while Madurai is a customs airport with limited international flights. Domestic flights are operational to certain airports like Tuticorin and Salem while flights are planned to be introduced to more domestic airports by the UDAN scheme of Government of India. The region comes under the purview of the Southern Air Command of the Indian Air Force. The Air Force operates three air bases in the state Sulur, Tambaram and Thanjavur. The Indian Navy operates airbases at Arakkonam, Uchipuli and Chennai. In 2019, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced the setting up a new rocket launch pad near Kulasekharapatnam in Thoothukudi district.
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