What started as RAF Station Tambaram, in the Madras Presidency, in the southeast of the British India, it became the Tambaram Air Force Station after the British left.

The station has a squadron of 15 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainers by 2015 at the Flying Instructors School.

Apart from training, helicopters from the Indian Navy have also been operated from this airfield.

In 2017 the Indian Air Force proposed to lengthen the runway so that larger aircraft could land to assist with natural disasters.

[1] There are plans to use the air force station to handle smaller civilian ATR aircraft (with a capacity of 70 to 80 passengers) to decongest the Chennai International Airport.