Pune on Priority: Murlidhar Mohol Succeeds General VK Singh as MoS for Civil Aviation

India has got a new Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation. Murlidhar Mohol has succeded General VK Singh as the MoS for Civil Aviation. Coming from Pune, he has generated a lot of expectations among Punekars. They are hopeful for improved facilities at the current Pune airport and the development of a new airport.

Murlidhar Mohol: Pune Aviation Will Gain Momentum

On June 11, Murlidhar Mohol assured that the aviation upgrade in Pune will gain momentum. He assured that the commissioning of a new terminal building will be done as soon as possible. He said that he would talk to the senior officials in the Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to understand the issues delaying the initiation of the new building. Those issues will be promptly resolved and the building will be operational as soon as possible.

The extension of the runway at Pune airport will be considered. He said that until the new airport in Pune is ready, we need to focus on the development and expansion of the current airport. Furthermore, the land acquisition process for the new airport in Purandar will accelerate. This process along with the construction will take 5-6 years.

Pune is an important city and needs connectivity to various international cities. During his tenure, he is looking forward to ensuring that more and more airports are operationalized within the state of Maharashtra.

What Are Demands of Punekars?

The runway extension at Pune Airport is one of the biggest demands of residents of Pune. At present, Pune Airport has a single runway with a length of 2,539 m. Aircraft like Airbus A321 and Boeing 737 can land at the airport. But the runway falls short in terms of handling widebody aircraft. It cannot handle aircraft like Boeing 777 and Airbus A330. If this runway is extended by another 300-400 meters, it can handle widebody operations.

In this case, European carriers can operate non-stop to the city. Earlier, Lufthansa used to operate a premium cabin-equipped Airbus A319 to Pune, with a single stop at Baku. The airline suspended the service in Feb 2019 because of operational reasons.

Other demands of the Pune Platform For Collaborative Response (PPCR) include even distribution of slots by the Indian Air Force so that the airport can handle more flights during the day. They want to add more flights to international destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. While the increment to Dubai seems impossible, the other two cities can be considered for international expansion.

PPCR has requested additional land for the expansion of the airport as well as the air cargo facilities at the airport. It will be interesting to see, whether these demands will be fulfilled or not.

Conclusion

Murlidhar Mohol, the former Pune Mayor is now the Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Hailing from Pune, he has generated a lot of expectations from Punekars regarding the development of the current airport and land acquisition of the new airport. He has assured that the new terminal will be operationalized as soon as possible. The runway at Pune Airport will be extended, and the land acquisition process of the new airport will be accelerated.

What do you think about the comments from Murlidhar Mohol? Discuss in the comment section.