Patel regrets lack of new airports

Pune: Lamenting the inordinate delays in construction of new international airport in Chakan, near Pune, Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Monday said lack of new airports coming up in Pune-Mumbai region was his biggest regret.
“Although the project to build Chakan airport is in place for a long time, we have still not seen any new airport coming up in the Pune-Mumbai region. This is my biggest moment of sadness, mainly because I am from Maharashtra,” Patel told reporters.
He was speaking at a press interaction after inaugurating a three-day executive programme on ‘Airports and airlines systems,’ launched jointly by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Office of Professional Education and Lavasa Corporation. Lavasa is the first hill city being developed by the Hindustan Constructions Company (HCC) near Pune.
“It is surprising to see that there is no new airport coming up, including Chakan, despite government’s greenfield (new) airport project in place. Singapore’s Changi Airport International through a consortium is building new airports in West Bengal’s Durgapur and Asansol, and Ludhiana in Punjab,” Patel said.
Closer home, the government has approved a greenfield airport at Sawantwadi in Konkan region of Maharashtra.
12/01/10 Skaal Times

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010, New Jan 2010