Pune airport parking bay expansion may take over a year as IAF land transfer awaits clearance

Pune: The addition of five new parking bays and three remote bays at Pune airport could take more than a year, as the transfer of land from the Indian Air Force (IAF) to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) remains pending.Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke told TOI on Sunday that the formal transfer of 13 acres of land is expected to be completed by the end of Jan. This is later than the Oct deadline earlier indicated by minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol.

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“We have written a letter to the IAF regarding the same. The IAF has appointed a board of officers for this purpose, and they will be initiating the final process regarding the transfer of land,” Dhoke told TOI.Pune airport operates within an IAF base that houses Sukhoi MK-I fighter jet squadrons and spans over 2,300 acres.The proposal for additional parking bays was first announced in Dec last year. As part of the agreement, the AAI was required to construct office infrastructure for the IAF on designated land parcels.“We have completed building the infrastructure for IAF. Once the land transfer happens, the planning directorate of the AAI will review the same, and then tenders for the construction of additional bays will be floated. This process can take around six to seven months or more before tenders are awarded and the work begins,” the director pointed out.At present, Pune airport has 10 parking bays. Earlier, Mohol had stated that the land transfer would be completed by Oct. “Such things take some time. There were a few delays related to documentation and also to the construction of infrastructure for the IAF. However, the plan is in motion. Once the land transfer happens, other steps will be expedited without delays,” a source close to the minister said.The limited number of parking bays has affected airport operations. During the recent IndiGo disruption, several flights were diverted as all bays were occupied by grounded aircraft, inconveniencing passengers. In one instance, a Kolkata–Pune IndiGo flight was delayed by two hours over concerns that the aircraft would occupy a bay for an extended period. Before the disruption, the airport handled over 200 flight movements daily. The current figure stands at around 194–198.Aviation experts have called for the project to be expedited. “Airport authorities, in coordination with the IAF and the ministry of civil aviation, must ensure there are no further delays. Infrastructure constraints need to be addressed despite the airport’s overall performance,” aviation expert Deepak Shastri said.

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