Pune Airport Runway Expansion Moves Forward; State To Provide Alternate Land To Indian Air Force

Pune, 9th April 2025: The long-awaited expansion of the Pune International Airport’s runway has taken a crucial step forward as the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) reached a consensus on Tuesday (8th April) regarding the provision of alternate land to the Air Force. This move comes ahead of the actual extension work and is necessary because the current airport premises fall under the jurisdiction of the IAF.

The expansion is aimed at enhancing Pune’s connectivity with international destinations and accommodating larger aircraft. With Central Government approval already in place for the project, attention has now turned to logistical and land-related clearances. In a meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, key discussions were held to address these prerequisites.

Present at the meeting were Divisional Commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke, senior IAF officials, Municipal Commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale, City Engineer Prashant Waghmare, and Chief Enginner (Road) Aniruddha Pawaskar, among others. The talks resulted in a mutual agreement to provide the IAF with alternate land in exchange for the area needed for the runway extension.

The AAI is now preparing a detailed proposal to be submitted to the Maharashtra State Government and the IAF headquarters. This proposal will outline the total land required for the extension, including IAF-controlled land and private plots, and request state-level approval.

The extension plan includes increasing the runway length by approximately 650 meters to the east and 350 meters to the west, which will require extensive land acquisition. Once the alternate land arrangement is approved by the Air Force and the state government, the acquisition process will commence.

Last year, the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey necessary for runway expansion returned a favorable report, indicating no major obstructions and ensuring that the safety parameters for takeoff and landing would be well within acceptable limits after the extension.

Currently, Pune Airport’s runway is 2,535 meters (8,316 feet) long and 45 meters wide. The proposed extension will enable the airport to handle wide-body aircraft and increase international flight operations, significantly boosting the region’s aviation capacity and connectivity.