Lohegaon international airport is on growth path

The global recession in 2009 had affected the growth of passenger traffic at Pune’s Lohegaon airport, but it charted a stupendous growth path in 2010.

There has been a growth of around 20% in passenger traffic this year at Lohegaon airport, as against 12% in 2009.

The airport has so far handled over 2.3 million passengers and the authorities are expecting to cross the three million mark by the end of this financial year.

This year, Pune has been linked by air to newer destinations such as Patna, Leh and Lucknow by GoAir. GoAir returned to Pune to resume operations after a gap of three years.

However, despite demands from different quarters in 2010, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has failed to introduce new international flights from Pune, especially to Singapore.

At present, eight aviation players are operating from Pune with 76 (to and fro) flights daily from the airport. Two international flights originate from Pune, one to Dubai and the other to Frankfurt.

“The Lohegaon airport is on an aggressive growth path and 2010 has been an eventful year,” said airport director, Deepak Shastri, adding that steps are being taken to increase the number of
international flights.

On the infrastructure front, the airport for the first time got two new aerobridges that would enable fliers to get into or disembark from aircraft directly into the civilian terminal. The installation of the aerobridges was part of the AAI’s modernisation programme involving around Rs80 crore.

Moreover, under the programme two new swank terminals were established, one on each side of the existing terminal. Although the work for the new terminals started in 2009, it was completed this year with an addition of 11,000 square metres. Two spacious vehicle parking areas have also come up, just opposite the airport.

For quicker movement of luggage, the AAI has installed two conveyer belts in addition to the existing two. The airport’s security has been enhanced after the German Bakery blast. The authorities have installed more CCTV cameras.

However, the AAI has not been able to operate flights between 7-10.30 pm, despite demands from business and trade bodies. There are restrictions imposed by the Indian Air Force prohibiting the movement of civilian aircrafts in that time slot. Lohegaon airport is an IAF base and air traffic control and the runway is controlled by them.

According to business and trade organisation, if the restrictions are withdrawn, several aviation players would operate during peak time. So far, the Union civil aviation ministry and the AAI have failed to persuade the IAF authorities on the issue.