Pune Airport is a

customs airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...

located approximately northeast of the historic centre of

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

in the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

, India. The airport is a civil enclave operated by the

Airports Authority of India The Airports Authority of India, or AAI, is a public sector enterprise under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastruct ...

at the western side of

Lohagaon Lohagaon (''Lohagāva'') (Marathi: लोहगाव) is a neighbourhood in northeast Pune, India. There is a grand temple of Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj in Lohagaon. A big kirtan festival is celebrated every year and a big fair is held. Shiva Ja ...

Air Force Station of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct ...

. The airport serves both domestic and international flights. In financial year 2020, the airport handled 8.09 million passengers. The airport is awarded as 'Best Airport by Hygiene Measures' in

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Paci ...

in 2020 by

Airports Council International Airports Council International (ACI) is an organization of airport authorities aimed at unifying industry practices for airport standards. Established in 1991, its headquarters (ACI World) are based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its member ...

Overview

Pune Airport has a 2,540 m long runway oriented 10/28. A former secondary runway is now used as a taxiway by the IAF. A 2200m x 23m parallel taxiway was constructed by AAI to facilitate civil operation on the southern side of runway 10/28. The airfield is equipped with night landing facilities as well as navigational facilities like

DVOR Very high frequency omnirange station (VOR) is a type of short-range radio navigation system for aircraft, enabling aircraft with a receiving unit to determine its position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by a network ...

/ DME and an NDB. As Pune's Air Traffic Control is operated by the IAF, there is often friction between the AAI and the IAF over flight schedules and night landings. There is currently a basic working relationship between the two parties; they have agreed to allow night landings of civilian flights for the time being, though this is not a long-term solution.

History

The airfield was established in 1939 as RAF Poona to provide air security to the city of Bombay (now

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

). The base was home to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

squadrons of

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden ...

and

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its ...

bombers and

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Gri ...

fighter aircraft. In May 1947, the

Royal Indian Air Force The Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) was the aerial force of British India and later the Dominion of India. Along with the Indian Army, and Royal Indian Navy, it was one of the Armed Forces of British Indian Empire. The Indian Air Force was offi ...

took charge of the airfield. The airport was declared as a

in January 1997 for the export of specified goods. With effect from 12 December 2005, the airport was certified as a customs airport for the clearance of passengers and baggage. International flights to

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

commenced by Indian (Previously Indian Airlines) in 2005. These flights however were not cancelled later. In 2004–05, the airport handled about 165 passengers a day or around 60,000 passengers. It increased to 250 passengers a day in 2005–06. There was a sharp rise in 2006–07 when the number reached 4,309 passengers a day (1,500,000 a year) and more than 2.8 million passengers a year in 2010– 2011 (about 8,000 passengers a day). The airport was ranked third best in the category of 5-15 million passengers by Airport Service Quality. A 100 crore airport modernisation plan was launched in preparation for the

Commonwealth Youth Games The Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) is an international multi-sport event organized by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The games were held in the years, mid-way between when the Commonwealth Games are held, until 2008. They continued to be held ...

hosted by Pune. In August 2008, AAI completed construction of two new terminal extensions for international passenger departures and arrivals, measuring nearly on either side of the old main terminal building, which was inadequate for the increase in passengers and flight operations. The terminal extensions have helped ease peak-time pressure of air passengers. Facilities developed on the air side include a new parallel taxi track and an apron expanded to accommodate eight

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fam ...

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

aircraft. Two aerobridges were also commissioned in 2011. New conveyor belts and passenger facilities including a modern spa were also commissioned. The

has invested 40 crore in 2018 for a brand new second terminal, which will be integrated into the existing one in order to ease air traffic. Construction began in late 2018 and will be completed by January 2023. All the offices of the AAI and the Central Industrial Security Force will move to the new administrative block, creating more space in the terminal building. The building will also house a VIP lounge with independent access to the airport terminal building. The airport power sub-station near the entrance gate will also be shifted to the new building this freeing up more space for developing passenger amenities. An

Instrument Landing System In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows an aircraft to ...

(ILS) has been proposed to ensure smooth takeoffs and landings even in deteriorated weather conditions.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

Future

Cargo terminal

There is a proposal of creating an international cargo facility from this airport. This project will enable foreign cargo operators to operate in the airport. The airport was declared as

on 17 January 1997, primarily for exporting perishable agricultural products. This project will also help to attract of foreign airlines to operate to the airport. The 600 sq.m. terminal will be located adjacent to the new adjacent second terminal.

Airport expansion

A second terminal is under construction on the eastern side of the current airport terminal. It will be twice the size of the current terminal. It will have 5 aerobridges and advanced technologies with duty-free shops and food courts. It was estimated to be completed by the end of 2020, but due to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, which caused lockdowns and curfews, it resulted in lack of labour and caused several delays in work. In September 2021, construction work resumed. As of November 2022, the new terminal is 75% completed, and is expected to be completed by May 2023.

Proposal for a new international airport

Due to the limited expansion options available, the airport will not be able to cope with the growing demand for air traffic into Pune. Hence, a

greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

airport for the Pune metropolitan region has been proposed. The

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the state governing authority for the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a democratically elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the Vidhan Sabha for a five-year term. Maharashtra has a Maharashtra Legisl ...

has entrusted the responsibility to

Maharashtra Airport Development Company Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited abbreviated as (MADC), is a Special Purpose Company constituted in 2002 by the Government of Maharashtra (GoM) to plan, construct, operate and maintain airports in the State. The government has en ...

(MADC) for executing the Pune International Airport project. Probable sites for this project had earlier included areas around

Talegaon Dabhade Talegaon is a town on the outskirts of the city of Pune, India. Demographics At the 2001 Census of India, Talegaon Dabhade had a population of 42,574. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. The average literacy rate was 79%, ...

and Saswad near Pune. An area between Chakan and Rajgurunagar, around the villages of Chandus and Shiroli was under consideration. However, due to land acquisition issues, a new site has been proposed. The greenfield airport will be located near the villages of Ambodi, Sonori, Kumbharvalan, Ekhatpur-Munjawadi, Khanwadi, Pargaon Memane, Rajewadi, Aamble, Tekwadi, Vanpuri, Udachiwadi, and Singapur near Saswad and Jejuri in Purandar taluka of

Pune District Pune district (Marathi pronunciation: uɳeː is the most populous district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district's population was 9,429,408 in the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populous district amongst India's 640 district ...

in the Indian state of

. The proposed airport in Purandar will be spread over 2,400 hectares. This airport will also boost trade from Pune and neighbouring districts as it will have its own dedicated cargo terminal. MADC requested proposals from consultants to conduct techno-economic feasibility studies, assist in obtaining the required statutory approvals and provide project management services. In August 2020,

deputy chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Ajit Pawar Ajit Anantrao Pawar (Marathi pronunciation: �d͡ʒit̪ pəʋaːɾ born 22 July 1959) is an Indian politician. He is the Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and was the 8th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in his ...

told the Pune district administration to check the feasibility of developing the new Pune International Airport at an alternative site proposed by Purandar MLA Sanjay Jagtap. The MLA had proposed land acquisition at Pandeshwar, Rise, and Pise villages, instead of the seven villages in Purandar taluka which have opposed land acquisition since the project was announced in October 2016. Total land acquisition cost is expected to be ₹ 4000 crore for the existing site. If the new site gets approved, land acquisition cost is likely to reduce. Senior officials of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) have said that shifting the site of the Purandar Airport will lead to delay of more than two years in getting fresh approvals, and carrying out surveys of the new site.

Access

Pre-paid

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choi ...

and

auto rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...

services to and from airport are available.

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

services to various key locations in Pune and private car rental services are also available. PMPML also operates airport shuttle to and fro from the city.

References

Citations

External links

Pune Airport
at

* {{Indian Air Force Airports in Pune district Transport in Pune Buildings and structures in Pune Articles containing video clips World War II sites in India 1939 establishments in India 1997 establishments in Maharashtra Airports established in 1997