Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj International Airport, Pune Project Overview

Pune is one of India's fastest-growing metropolitan areas and a designated "Smart Cit

y," an economic engine drawing talent and investment from around the globe. However, its primary air gateway, located at the Lohagaon Air Force Station, is struggling to keep pace. As a restricted international airport, it has become a significant bottleneck, causing crowding and flight delays that hinder the region's potential.

To solve this, the state has proposed an ambitious solution: the greenfield Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj International Airport Pune. This isn't merely an expansion; it's a generational project designed to redefine Pune's connectivity for decades. But behind the plans for this massive undertaking are several surprising facts about its scale, its long and difficult history, and its true purpose as an economic catalyst for the entire state.

Here are three key things you need to know about the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj International Airport.

1. It’s Not Just an Upgrade—It’s a Staggering Leap in Scale

To understand the new airport's importance, one must first grasp the severe limitations of the current facility. The airport at Lohagaon operates from a single civil terminal at an Air Force base. It has only eight parking bays for aircraft; of those, one is permanently reserved for VIP traffic and another for charter operations, leaving just six for all commercial, domestic, and international flights. This chronic undersupply is the root of the airport's constant congestion.

The specifications for the Purandar site are not an incremental improvement; they represent a fundamental reimagining of the region's place in the global aviation network. Spread over 2,832 hectares, the plans call for a facility capable of handling 75 million passengers annually. It will feature two parallel 4,000-meter runways—long enough to accommodate the world's largest passenger and cargo aircraft for intercontinental flights, a capability Pune has never had. Its apron will be large enough to park over 100 aircraft simultaneously. This represents a more than twelve-fold increase in aircraft parking capacity, marking a definitive shift from a constrained domestic hub to a global gateway.

2. This "New" Airport Has a 20+ Year History

While the project feels current, its origins trace back over two decades, marked by a winding path of false starts, local opposition, and remarkable perseverance.

The first government approval for a new airport near Chakan came in July 2002. By February 2009, the project had advanced enough that the state government approved a seed capital of Rs. 200 crore, showing serious intent. For years, however, the plan moved in fits and starts, bogged down by persistent opposition from local farmers and landowners, until it was officially scrapped in December 2015. A pivot came in September 2016, when a new, flatter site in Purandar was identified. Yet this location also faced opposition, leading the government to consider another site change as recently as 2020. After overcoming these numerous hurdles, the project finally reached a critical milestone: in March 2025, land acquisition for the Purandar site officially started. This two-decade saga highlights the immense difficulty of executing megaprojects in rapidly developing regions.

3. It’s Designed to Be an Economic Engine, Especially for Farmers

The vision for the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj International Airport extends far beyond passenger travel. The facility is explicitly planned to serve as a major "cargo hub for the state," transforming the region's economic landscape. This is where the project's massive scale becomes an economic strategy. The capacity to park over 100 aircraft is precisely what allows it to handle the logistics for massive agricultural exports while simultaneously supporting a bustling passenger terminal.

A key feature of this plan is its direct benefit to local agriculture. A dedicated cargo terminal will enable farmers in surrounding districts to export perishable, high-value crops like grapes and pomegranates directly to global markets, boosting state revenue and creating jobs across the supply chain.

Furthermore, the airport is designed to be a self-sustaining aviation ecosystem. The plans include an integrated Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility and a Flying Training Organisation. These are not just add-ons; they are strategic components designed to attract skilled labor, foster ancillary industries, and reduce the region's reliance on other hubs for critical aviation services. This integrated approach frames the airport not just as a transportation link, but as a long-term investment in the prosperity of the entire region.

A New Horizon for Pune

The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj International Airport is far more than just a larger runway. Its staggering scale is a direct response to the lessons learned from a two-decade struggle against infrastructure bottlenecks, culminating in an economic vision that aims to prevent the same constraints from limiting the region for the next half-century. It represents a fundamental belief in Pune's future and a commitment to building the infrastructure necessary to realize it.

With a gateway of this magnitude on the horizon, what new possibilities will be unlocked for Pune in the decades to come?