Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to announce that the Pune Airport runway expansion work has been fast-tracked.
“After receiving the green light for the runway expansion—essential for increasing the number of international flights at Pune Airport and allowing large-sized aircraft to operate—the actual work will now gain momentum. Instructions were given in a meeting with senior officers from various departments today to carry out the said work on a ‘fast track’ basis. Also, the issue of the road leading to Lohegaon has been resolved, and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will build this road in coordination with the Air Force,” he stated.
The Pune MP said a detailed meeting of senior officials was held, during which various instructions were issued regarding the land acquisition needed for the runway expansion, construction of an alternative road to Lohegaon, and other technical matters.
The meeting was attended by Pune Divisional Commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke, senior Air Force officers, Pune Municipal Commissioner Rajendra Bhosale, City Engineer Prashant Waghmare, Head of Roads Department Aniruddha Pawaskar, and other officials.
“A detailed discussion was held on the extent of land required from the Army and private sector for the runway expansion. Additionally, the Airports Authority should receive the required land from the Air Force. A proposal regarding this land demand will be sent to Army Headquarters. This land will be used to establish systems related to airport management. In return, the Air Force will be provided with alternative land,” Mohol said.
Currently, the runway at Pune Airport is 2,535 metres (8,316 feet) long and 45 metres wide. An additional 500 metres is needed on the eastern side and 300 metres on the western side. If the runway is extended by about 800 metres, its total length will be approximately 10,940 feet. Once the runway reaches 11,000 feet, even large aircraft will be able to land at Pune Airport. The estimated cost for acquiring the required land is around ₹160 crore.
