AAI committed to provide better facilities: Joshi

When will the new terminal building whose foundation was laid last year, be complete? 
The much-needed new terminal building will be completed in 2021 and AAI is working on it. It will be completed on time. The new building will cover an area of 42,000 sq m. The existing airport is spread across 22,300 sq m. After the new terminal building becomes operational, the capacity of passengers will increase. The AAI is committed to providing better facilities to passengers. 

There is a need for morning slots for airlines. Is this on your agenda?
As Pune’s airport is based on Indian Air Force (IAF) land, the slots are provided by them as per their schedule. There is need for morning slots and during the night slots, the passengers face several issues. We have requested the IAF to provide morning slots. We are in continuous talk with IAF. The result will be fruitful.

The pending 10 acres of land is yet to be handed over to the AAI. Due to this, is the development work  hampered? What about runway extension? 
Pune airport is growing. We are in talks with the State Government for the handing over of 10 acres which is pending. If it is handed over soon, we will start working on multi-level car parking and move the cargo and provide more facilities for the fliers. There is talk of the runway extension. If we get land we will start developing.

Earlier, Pune airport had flights under UDAN scheme, but after a few months, the airline stopped operations. Recently, one of the airlines started it again. What if the airlines are not fulfilling the requirement of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and AAI rules?
We received applications from the airlines to start flights under the UDAN scheme. The slots are given to them as per demand. Not operating a flight on a particular route is a direct consequence of aircraft not being available with the airlines. There is a fee deposited by the airlines if they do not start the flights or if they stop it, we take action against them and the deposit amount is not returned. 

What is AAI doing for the environment?
There are several works done by AAI across the country, like solar power. Pune airport has installed solar power and is saving electricity. We are planting trees in and around our premises. AAI observes consumption of fuel of the airlines. We are working to reduce the carbon footprint. We are also working on the latest technologies and we are saving water.