India’s First Aviation Gallery Now Open to Public in Shivajinagar, Pune

PMC opens aviation gallery to the public after a four-year wait.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) finally opened its aviation gallery to the public on Tuesday, four years after it was first opened. All aviation-related information is now available to the public via this gallery.

The ₹4 crore project was finished by the civic body in March 2020, after it was first proposed in 2017.
The museum was supposed to open in March 2020 according to the civic body, but it was never built.

The PMC said in a statement on Tuesday that the public can now visit the aviation gallery from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Adult ticket prices are ₹25, children’s tickets are ₹10, and foreigners’ tickets are ₹300.

The gallery, known as the “Sarsangchalak Balasaheb Devras Aviation Gallery,” is situated in Shivajinagar Gavthan at the Lal Bahadur Shastri School, which is behind Congress Bhavan.

Mahalaxmi Aviation, a private aviation company based in the city, won the tender and took a three-year lease on the facility.

The coordinator of the aircraft exhibit, Sujit Shedkar, said, “The gallery is quite informative, and citizens will like it.” The aviation industry’s history, aircraft models, airport designs, aeroplane replicas, and aerospace exhibits are all on display in this gallery.”

“We see it as a social service to raise awareness among citizens about the aviation business,” Mahalaxmi Aviation’s Nitin Welde said. For school children, we have planned a study visit to this gallery. We are in the process of integrating this gallery into PMPML’s Pune Darshan bus service. The public should come to this center to get knowledge about the aviation industry.

In addition to aircraft models, Air Force documentaries, aero modeling, helicopter models, and informational brochures on space research and aviation potential, the multi-story gallery displays a wide range of aviation history, starting with the Greek era.

The gallery’s design, building, and opening are attributed to BJP corporator Jyotsana Ekbote and former NCP corporator Balasaheb Bodke.

On March 9, 2020, BJP state unit president Chandrakant Patil and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar opened the gallery.