Pune: Purandar International Airport Site Cannot Be Changed Now

Pune, September 1, 2020: The district and Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) administration has made it clear that the location of the planned international airport at Purandar, about 45 km from Pune, cannot be changed. The administration also clarified that no written complaint has been received yet regarding the change in the airport land.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has also clarified that the airport project is in the final stages and cannot be changed. The central government, various departments of the state government, Ministry of Defence, Air Force, Directorate General of Civil Aviation have all issued no-objection certificates to the project. So it is now impossible to change the site. “If it is decided to change the site, then all the procedures have to be done from the beginning. Therefore, the project could not be relocated now”, Marathi newspaper Loksatta quoted administration officials.

The AAI has ruled that no other place in the district except Purandar is suitable for developing an international airport. Therefore, only seven villages selected in Purandar taluka are suitable for the airport, the then District Collector Naval Kishore Ram had said.

Apart from this, the Deputy Chief Minister and District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar had testified in January this year that there would be no change in the location of the planned international airport at Purandar. He also said that he would discuss with those who are opposed to the project site.

There are two small runways at Lohgaon air force station and one at National Defence Academy (NDA). The air force had objected that the airspace of Purandar airport would be shared or disrupted. It has been decided to reduce the altitude of flights from Purandar and to plan the route so as not to disrupt the Mumbai-Hyderabad, Mumbai-Bangalore airspace. In order to have coordination between Lohgaon and Purandar airports, it is necessary to have an Air Traffic Control (ATC) and it has been agreed to keep this (ATC) at Lohgaon instead of Purandar airport area. Apart from this, all the permissions of the Central and State Governments have been received. Against this backdrop, it is technically impossible to relocate the airport.