Inauguration of the new terminal building of Pune airport is a hot topic among Punekars and even among political circles, as the opposition blames the government for "waiting for PM Modi for the date". The number of passengers at this airport is soaring and by the end of this financial year in March 2024, it is expected to be around 9 million passengers per year, which is the highest traffic ever for this airport.
New terminal waiting for inauguration
Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke told Indian Express that the new terminal building has been built at an estimated cost of Rs. 475 crores. Once it is inaugurated, it will have to undergo some testing, which will take around six weeks. The existing terminal has the capacity to handle 7.1 million passengers per year. Once inaugurated and functional, the new terminal will add the capacity to handle an additional 12 million passengers annually, giving a huge boost to the airport.
Issue raised in the Upper House
Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP, Shiv Sena (UBT) raised this issue in Rajya Sabha earlier this month and asked why the new terminal has not been inaugurated yet when its work had been completed five months ago. In response, union minister of state for civil aviation gen (Dr) V K Singh (retd.) stated that the work on the new terminal building is still going on.
As of now, there is no update on when this new terminal will be inaugurated and start operating.
