Pune Airport Runway Extension: OLS survey begins today, expected to finish in 10 days

Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation and Co-operation, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) from Pune has been following up on Pune airport runway extension project to accommodate bigger aircraft for international flights.

For Pune airport runway expansion project, 35 acres of land is needed, said the minister.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday commenced the Obstacles Limitation Surface (OLS) survey of Pune Airport with a special team from Delhi arriving to conduct it.

As per the AAI, the survey work is expected to last for at least ten days. Later, a report will be submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and after getting the approval, the work of extending the runway will commence.

An AAI official said, “At present, the length of the runway is 2,535 meters (8,316 feet) and the width is 45 meters. Whereas 500 meters of space is required on the east side and 300 meters on the west side of the runway. If the runway is extended by about 800 meters, the total length will be about 10,940 feet.”

“If the length is about 11,000 feet, then in the future even big flights will be able to land at Pune Airport. For this, an expenditure of around ₹160 crore is expected on the acquisition of the site,” the official added.

For the runway expansion project, Murlidhar Mohol, the newly appointed Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) from Pune, earlier said 35 acres of land is needed.

“Remuneration for this land needs to be given to the landowners for which we have finalized a formula. The formula is that 60% of the amount will be given by the Maharashtra government, 20% by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and 10% each by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA),” he said.

What is an OLS survey?

An OLS (Obstacle Limitation Surface) survey at airports is a safety check that maps out and identifies any physical obstacles around the airport that could interfere with aircraft during landing, takeoff, and other flights. This survey ensures that the airspace is clear and safe for planes to operate, helping to prevent accidents. It also makes sure that the airport meets international safety standards, promoting smooth and efficient air travel.

This survey is being carried out to identify obstacles in the Pune Airport Runway Extension project and also to identify any obstacles that may hinder operations of wide-body aircraft which are traditionally used for intercontinental flights.