Result of obstacle limitation survey for runway extension positive: Mohol

Pune: Obstacle limitation survey conducted at the city airport for runway extension had yielded positive results and would lead to increase in international flights, said Pune MP and minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Tuesday.
"Some technical issues remain to be resolved and will be done soon," he said.
A team of Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials conducted the 10-day survey from July 8.The report was submitted to AAI headquarters. At present, the length of the runway is 2,535 metres (8,316 feet), and the width is 45 metres (148 feet). Space of around 500 metres is needed on the eastern side and around 300 metres on the western side for the runway extension, the issue being pending for years now. Around Rs160 crore would be needed for land acquisition for the extension.
Mohol said, "A high-level technical meeting was held at the Union ministry of civil aviation in Delhi regarding runway expansion and construction of other facilities at Pune airport. The survey result was positive and will pave the way for international flights."
Wide-bodied aircrafts cannot land at the facility due to the short runway at the Pune airport. Currently, two direct international flights operated by SpiceJet and Vistara fly from Pune to Dubai and Singapore.
"Issues discussed in the meeting included land acquisition from the state govt, transfer of land from the ministry of defence (MoD), apron area, runway length, new terminal building and others. The AAI has been instructed to cooperate and coordinate with MoD and state govt by carrying out other surveys related to the project," Mohol added.
The obstacle limitation survey (OLS) is essential to ensure safe landing and take-off of aircrafts. The survey defines airspace around aerodromes to be maintained free from obstacles to allow safe flight operations.