Pune: Experts feel the decision to come up with a new terminal at Lohegaon airport has come too late.
Aviation expert and analyst Dhairyashil Vandekar told TOI on Monday that the decision should have been taken much earlier. "Mid-last year, defence minister Manohar Parrikar stated that the authorities (Airports Authority of India) should immediately start planning the expansion of the Lohegaon airport after 15.84 acres of air force land was approved for it on lease. If there are talks now about a new terminal building as a part of the expansion plan, it seems a bit too late because the AAI will have to pull up its socks and work faster. In the case of the existing Pune airport, there has been a lack of controlled growth. It is high time that the authorities rectifi ed it," said Vandekar.
Authorities at the airport stressed that the work on the new terminal building would start by May this year. The facility should be ready by 2019.More than Rs400 crore would be pumped in for it.
"There is a huge difference between a facility being ready and operations starting in aviation. If the AA I is expecting the new terminal to be ready by 2019, it virtually gives a year or may be less for its civil use, considering the new Pune airport at Purandar will be ready for operations by 2020. While the expansion at the Lohegaon airport is necessary and important, things should have sped up. The new terminal should be ready at least by 2018 so that it is brought into civil use for at least two years," he said.
03/01/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India
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Aviation expert and analyst Dhairyashil Vandekar told TOI on Monday that the decision should have been taken much earlier. "Mid-last year, defence minister Manohar Parrikar stated that the authorities (Airports Authority of India) should immediately start planning the expansion of the Lohegaon airport after 15.84 acres of air force land was approved for it on lease. If there are talks now about a new terminal building as a part of the expansion plan, it seems a bit too late because the AAI will have to pull up its socks and work faster. In the case of the existing Pune airport, there has been a lack of controlled growth. It is high time that the authorities rectifi ed it," said Vandekar.
Authorities at the airport stressed that the work on the new terminal building would start by May this year. The facility should be ready by 2019.More than Rs400 crore would be pumped in for it.
"There is a huge difference between a facility being ready and operations starting in aviation. If the AA I is expecting the new terminal to be ready by 2019, it virtually gives a year or may be less for its civil use, considering the new Pune airport at Purandar will be ready for operations by 2020. While the expansion at the Lohegaon airport is necessary and important, things should have sped up. The new terminal should be ready at least by 2018 so that it is brought into civil use for at least two years," he said.
03/01/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India
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