Pune : Shift Air Force base to Purandar to resolve air traffic issues: Former MCCIA president

Concerns regarding Pune’s inadequate airport are raised frequently by Pune citizens, who believe it cannot accommodate the demands of the city’s expanding population, industrial, educational and IT hubs.

Little domestic and international flight activity is caused by the airport’s co-location with an Indian Air Force (IAF) base. Moreover, the IAF’s training activities—particularly with fighter jets—impose additional constraints on flight schedules.

As per information from the X handle of Former MCCIA President Dr Sudhir Mehta “Pune, with all its problems, now requires radical solutions, especially concerning our demand for better air connectivity. One radical solution, if successful, will not only resolve all our air travel woes but also address various other issues—drastically expanding the current airport at Lohegaon and bringing it under civil control. The way to do so (which will require immense political fortitude) is to entirely move the air force base to Purandar and/or the Yerawada Central Jail outside the city, using the entire area to build a new Civil International Airport. It not only helps with our airport but will also aid in designing a new state-of-the-art, large, and more secure Air Force base and a modern central jail. Something to think about.”

Netizens have actively commented & expressed their opinions on this.

A user tweets “I think theoretically this is a good idea… but not a feasible one practically – given the amount of infrastructure IAF has built here over the past 80+ years. I think it will be a nonstarter. Also, the current space may not allow 2+ parallel runways, in any case.”

A user tweets “This, exactly this is what I have been saying for years. Why does the military need to occupy prime property into the city? It’s got a great commercial usage. A planned Greenfield downtown or a full-fledged civilian airport should occupy this space.”

A user tweeted “I don’t think that an operational air force base has ever been moved in the history of Independent India. Lohegaon Air Base [earlier called Yerawada airfield – ref JRD Tata, (circa 1946) quoted in Siyasat] was predominantly an entire Air Force cantonment outside of Poona back then, it’s the city that has encroached into that area. The entire AF infra, colonies, accommodation, schools, etc at Lohegaon would have to be relocated or the Pune citizens subsidise relocation or daily transportation – both of which are non-starters. I can’t see the Yerawada Central Jail being moved for an airport extension either, in fact I can see the airport buildings being moved to pave the way for greater Air Force garrisons. It would thus help if all prominent thinkers of Pune are on one page for the creation of a new greenfield airport. It has been 15 years of lobbing the ball from one to another – isn’t it time we get things done?”