Pune鈥檚 long-standing wish for direct international flights鈥攅specially to Europe鈥攊s finally moving towards reality.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, confirmed that the runway expansion at Pune Airport has already begun.
The lack of direct flights to Europe has been largely due to the airport鈥檚 short runway, which cannot handle wide-bodied aircraft needed for long-haul flights.
Nearly 300 acres of land will now be acquired to make this extension possible. The costs will be shared between the Maharashtra government (60 percent), Pune Municipal Corporation (20 percent), Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (10 percent), and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (10 percent).
鈥淚f all goes as planned, in about 18 months, Punekars will be able to board direct flights to European cities,鈥 Mohol said, as per Hindustan Times.
New International Airport at Purandar
The runway project is part of a bigger vision to improve air travel in western Maharashtra. Mohol also shared updates about the much-delayed Purandar Airport. The location has now been finalised, and land acquisition is progressing.
鈥淭his airport will meet international standards and strengthen Pune鈥檚 connectivity. It鈥檚 a matter of pride for the entire region,鈥 the minister noted.
New Terminal Fully Operational
Besides the runway, Pune Airport is also seeing a facelift. The new terminal is now fully functional, and all operations have shifted there. Work to redevelop the old terminal has started too.
鈥淓ven though I travel often, Pune remains my top priority,鈥 Mohol said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I ensured the new terminal opened without delay.鈥
Here鈥檚 How Passengers Reacted?
Frequent flyer Kedar Mane expressed his excitement: 鈥淭his is incredible news. Travelling to Mumbai or Delhi to catch an international flight has always been a hassle. Soon, we could fly directly to places like Frankfurt or Amsterdam from Pune itself.鈥
Currently, Pune Airport serves 35 domestic destinations and three international ones鈥擠ubai, Bangkok, and Singapore.