MoD approves survey to expand Pune airport's runway to boost int'l ops

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved an obstacle limitation surface (OLS) survey for the runway expansion at Pune Airport, which would enable it to handle widebody planes and expand its international flight network.

An OLS survey identifies and maps obstacles around an airport to ensure safe aircraft operations and meet regulations. It creates detailed maps of protected airspace to prevent interference with takeoff, landing, and manoeuvring. This is crucial for accommodating widebody aircraft, which have larger fuel tanks allowing them to operate direct flights to continents such as Europe and North America.

Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, stated: "The Ministry of Defence today has approved the much-awaited OLS survey for the runway expansion at the Pune International Airport... In a meeting chaired by the Defence Secretary in the presence of the Divisional Commissioner of Pune, a decision was made that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will conduct the OLS survey."

"Such a survey will enable the runway expansion, allowing large-sized aircraft (typically used for international travel) to fly from Pune! ... I thank Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh ji for this prompt decision in response to my earlier follow-up in this regard," Mohol added.

The Pune airport is a defence airport wherein commercial aircraft operations are allowed at certain periods of time under the management of the AAI. Currently, the Pune airport handles 1,264 services per week, out of which only 26 are international, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. These 26 international flights are operated by SpiceJet and Vistara to Dubai and Singapore.