Pune airport gets international airport status

Air India flies Pune-Dubai; flights to Singapore, UK on anvil

BY A CORRESPONDENT
2nd December 2005

Pune Airport received the much-coveted international airport status in December 2005. Pune Airport's global debut was marked by the launch of an Air-India flight from Pune to Dubai on December 13.

Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar flagged off the first Pune-Dubai flight on his 65th birthday. Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel was also present at the occasion. Both Pawar and Patel are members of the Nationalist Congress Party, which is part of Indian's central government run by the United Progressive Alliance.

The same month, Indian (formerly Indian Airlines) also started a flight from Pune to Singapore.

Speaking at the function, Patel said in the coming seven years, India's aviaton sector will see an investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

The Pune-Dubai flight carried 200 passengers and about ten tonnes of cargo.

The government is also planning to upgrade the Pune International airport soon, by installing night landing facilities and a new cargo complex terminal. The government-owned Indian and Air-India may also launch flights from Pune to UK sometime in 2006.