Maharashtra's first AAI-run heliport will come up within Hadapsar gliding centre, says Mohol
Pune: Maharashtra is expected to see its first Airports Authority of India-operated heliport at Hadapsar gliding centre soon, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said on Monday.
"The process to complete the handover of the facility from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to AAI is currently under way. We are thinking of opening a heliport within the centre. I have spoken about it to senior AAI officials, including its chairman. The discussions are in the initial stage at present," the Pune MP told the media.
The gliding centre, spread over 250 acres, was managed by DGCA till Dec last year when it was transferred to AAI on a 99-year lease.
There were speculations that the heliport would be set up under a public-private partnership model.
"Pune has the highest number of choppers in the country. There are many helipads in the city, but they are privately owned. Therefore we feel that an AAI-managed heliport is important for the state," the minister said.
Former Indian Air Force (IAF) group captain Nitin Welde, who is associated with a private chopper service in Pune, said there are close to 235 helicopters in the country and around 20 of them are in the city.
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"The plan to set up a heliport, which will be managed by AAI, is a good initiative. The coordination and control will be by a govt agency and hence everything will be much different from privately owned helipads. A heliport is exactly like an airport than the fact that it does not have a runway but has multiple helipads," he said.
About the issue of flyers taking pictures of the airside of Pune airport, Mohol said the procedure and the scope of action that can be taken in this regard will be studied.
"Talks will be held with authorities on the matter."
TOI reported last week on the issue in the wake of the DGCA order which said commercial aircraft flying from defence airports in western India needed to keep the window shades shut during take-offs and landings.
A senior IAF official had earlier told TOI that despite clear instructions, many flyers clicked photos, and the only solution was punitive actions, including cancellation of tickets.
However, the airlines are hesitant to take such a step.
The minister said Pune airport is expected to cater to wide-bodied aircraft in the next two years. "The OLS survey pertaining to the runway extension has been completed and work on land acquisition will begin next month. By 2027, we will be able to see big aircraft land and take off."
The plan involves increasing the runway length by approximately 650 metres to the east and 350 metres to the west for which extensive land acquisition will be required in addition to land transfer by IAF.
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