New Pune International Airport

For other uses, see Pune Airport (disambiguation).
New Pune International Airport
नवीन पुणे आंतरराष्ट्रीय विमानतळ

IATA: none – ICAO:

New Pune International Airport
Location of airport in India

Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Maharashtra Airport Development Company
Operator Maharashtra Airport Development Company
Serves Pune Metropolitan Area)
Location Rajgurunagar, Pune district
Elevation AMSL 2,277 ft / 694 m
Coordinates 18°50′30″N 073°44′37″E / 18.84167°N 73.74361°E / 18.84167; 73.74361
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
Runway 1 (North) 4,000 13,120 Asphalt
Runway 2 (South) 4,000 13,120 Asphalt

The New Pune International Airport is a greenfield airport project under development near Rajgurunagar, 40 kilometers north of Pune, Maharashtra, India. The Government of Maharashtra has entrusted the responsibility to the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) for executing this ₹10 billion (US$150 million) project.[1][2] The new airport is expected to serve the Pune Metropolitan Area and will be the gateway of Pune and western Maharashtra to the rest of the world. Agricultural and floricultural exports are expected to get a faster movement to international markets upon the completion of this project. The construction of this airport was expected to begin by 2015,[3] however, the government has not been able to finalise on a location for the project.[4]

Site preparation

The decision to build the airport was taken in August 2004.[2] Potential project sites had earlier included areas around Talegaon Dabhade and Saswad near Pune. Another area between Chakan and Rajgurunagar, around the villages of Chandus and Shiroli situated along the Pune - Nashik National Highway 50 was also considered.[5]

In 2011, due to land acquisition issues at the Rajgurunagar site, a new site further west, around the villages of Askhed Budrukh, Koye, Kurunde and Piet, was chosen.[6] In August 2012, the state government allocated ₹2 billion (US$30 million) to acquire 1,800 hectares of land for the airport, 1,200 hectares of which, were intended for the construction of the airport featuring two 4-kilometer long, 60-meter wide parallel runways,[7] while the remaining 600 hectares were to be used to develop airport amenities, for commercial development and for the implementation of the buyback policy offered to project-affected residents of the area.[1] This site received clearance from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in February 2013[7] and MADC subsequently issued a request for proposal (RFP) for consultants to conduct techno-economic feasibility studies, assist in obtaining the required statutory approvals and provide project management services. The airport was initially expected to start by 2011 but was delayed due to slow land acquisition[5] including a parcel of land set aside for the Khed City project.[4]

In April 2015, the State Government announced that it would consider building a scaled-down version of the airport on 1200 hectares at the original site near Rajgurunagar. The new plan would avoid acquisition of agricultural land from local farmers.[4]

Need for new airport

Pune is a growing center in the automobile, education and Information technology industries. The current airport, a civil enclave operated by the AAI at the Lohegaon Air Base of the Indian Air Force, has only 8 parking bays and is not in a position to serve international traffic of more than 3 to 4 flights per day. On the other hand, there is a growing demand for air traffic into Pune from the automobile and information technology industries. Many foreign students from more than 70 countries and students from other towns and cities in India come to Pune for education. There is also a growing demand for agricultural and floricultural trade. The old airport cannot handle cargo aircraft as there is no dedicated cargo terminal and no land is available to build a cargo terminal. Moreover, this airport remains closed to civilian air traffic for a few hours every day when the Airforce conducts military operations.

Connection

Internal

The airport project site is located 40 km north of Pune, 14 km west of Rajgurunagar. The National Highway 50 (NH50) from Pune to Nashik connects Rajgurunagar to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. A road has been proposed to connect Shiroli to the new airport. In addition a metro rail has been proposed from the new airport to Moshi. Moshi will be further connected to the Pune Metro project. There are demands to start suburban trains on Rajgurunagar to Pune Junction patch on the proposed Pune - Nashik Road railway line to have connectivity to the new airport.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Pune’s new airport takes off with Rs 200 cr allocation". Indian Express. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 "New Airport for Pune". Business Standard. 10 August 2004. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  3. ↑ Construction of new airport to begin by 2015
  4. 1 2 3 "Scaled-down Pune international airport likely near Rajgurunagar". The Hindu Business Line. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  5. 1 2 "New airport will take off in 2011, otherwise Pune will lag behind, says Praful Patel". Indian Express. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "State wants more land for project". Sakaal Times. 24 December 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  7. 1 2 "AAI finds site fine for airport: Officials". The Indian Express. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.

External links

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