A New Getaway To Pune: Construction On 40,000 Sq Metre Airport Terminal Begins, To Open Within A Year

Keeping in mind the rising passenger demand, construction has begun on a new 40,000 square metre (sqm) terminal for the Pune airport in Lohegaon, Times of India reports. Authorities are hopeful of inaugurating the new terminal by December 2019.

“According to the deadline, the terminal building is expected to be operational by August 2021. But we shall fast-track the project, and if we can make it functional by December 2019 or January 2020, there will be nothing like it,” an airport official said.

Earlier, announcements were made that the construction of the terminal building would start after the Bhoomi puja was conducted on 20 October.

A statement from Pune MP Anil Shirole, saying that various top ministers from the Union Government had been invited for the event, created doubts over the construction, even before the work started. The official said that the issue had been resolved while adding that the constriction was started earlier "because the project is important and should not be delayed.”

Dhairyashil Vandekar, an aviation expert and analyst, speaking about various challenges the airport can face next year said that the airport would have to match the capacity with increasing demand for flights. He adds, “Another sore area that needs to be tackled effectively in 2019 is the chaotic traffic situation on roads inside and outside the airport”.

Once the construction of the new terminal is completed, the airport’s size would increase to 64,300 sqm. The total cost of building the new terminal building is pegged at Rs 400 crores. Over 12 million users are expected to use the airport in 2019-20. This new terminal building would be integrated with the existing one.