Pune: MP Muralidhar Mohol Urges Rajnath Singh for Pune Airport Runway Extension to Facilitate Bigger Aircraft Operations

Pune Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, Muralidhar Mohol, has written a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, urging the expansion of the Pune airport runway. The airport, situated at Lohegaon, is part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) base.

In his letter, Mohol emphasized that the non-availability of direct international connectivity has been hampering the growth of Pune. He stressed the urgent need to extend the current runway to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft (Code D/E type). The proposed extension would add 1,000 meters to the runway, with 550-600 meters on the eastern side and 350-400 meters on the western side. Currently, the runway is 2,535 meters long and 45 meters wide, allowing aircraft up to the size of an AB-321 to land.

Mohol pointed out that the runway expansion was discussed during a review meeting at Pune airport on June 14. Consequently, he wrote to the Defence Minister requesting the exploration of this expansion. The letter asks for suitable instructions to be given to the IAF/DEO to conduct an OLS joint survey of the area, in compliance with the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).

“I will be meeting Rajnath Singh on Monday,” Mohol stated. He sent the letter to the Union Minister today, seeking permission for the runway extension and the necessary survey.