Pune: Purandar Airport Receives Approvals from Ministry of Defence and DGCA

Pune is in desperate need of a new airport as the current one is clogged up and has limited scope for expansion. For the construction of the new airport, a site has been identified in the Purandar region. With the passing of time, the project is progressing towards the land acquisition process.

Purandar Airport Receives Major Approvals

Murlidhar Mohol has assumed his position as the Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Hailing from Pune, he has promised Punekars to accelerate the operationalization of the new terminal building at the current airport and the land acquisition process of the new Purandar Airport.

Mohol has informed that the new airport has received approvals from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). MoD granted the approval in May, while DGCA has approved the new project just recently.

With this, all the technical hurdles for the Pune Airport are gone. Mohol said that the next step is going to be the initiation of the land acquisition process. He assured of taking this matter to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), DGCA, and Maharashtra Airport Development Authority (MADC).

Latest Update on Runway Extension at Current Pune Airport

At present, the Pune Lohegaon Airport is equipped with a single runway with a length of 2,539 meters. This runway can handle aircraft like Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 but falls short when it comes to widebody operations.

MoS Mohol talked about the runway extension plans at Pune Airport. He said that for a code D & E aircraft to operate from Pune Airport, there is a need to expand the runway. For this, land spanning 35 acres is required. Plans are underway to secure funding from the state government, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and the Municipal Corporation of Pune & Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Aircraft categorized as Code D have a wingspan ranging from 36 to 52 meters, which includes models like Boeing 767 and Airbus A310. Aircraft classified as Code E have a wingspan between 52 and 65 meters, like Boeing 777, Boeing 787, and Airbus A330.

Airliners with a wingspan above 52 meters are classified under the Code F category. Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 come under this. In India, there are very limited airports which can handle these aircraft.

Operationalization of New Terminal

The operationalization of the new terminal building at Pune Airport has been halted because of a delay in the deployment of additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials. The Home Ministry has already approved CISF to deploy 241 officials to the new building.

Mohol said that the new terminal building will be launched as soon as possible. Home Minister Amit Shah has assured him to allot the additional force immediately.

Mohol is the former Mayor of Pune. On 11 June, he assumed his position as Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Minister of State for Co-operation. He has succeeded Retired General VK Singh as the MoS for Civil Aviation.

Conclusion: Purandar Airport Receives Major Clearances

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have approved the site for Purandar Airport Pune. MoD approved the project in May, while DGCA approval was granted recently. An additional 35 acres of land is needed to extend the runway at the current Pune Airport. With this, the airport will be able to accommodate Code E & F aircraft. The new terminal building at Pune Airport will be operationalized soon.

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