The Hindu Business Line : Pawar flags-off first international flight from Pune airport

THE Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, on Monday flagged off the first international flight from the Pune airport - an Air India flight to Dubai.

Mr Pawar also took the opportunity to assure a gathering of high-powered city politicians and industrialists that efforts are also on to clear certain technical hurdles blocking the much-awaited independent international airport at Chakan in the outskirts of the city.

"The Civil Aviation Ministry is right now in discussion with the Air Force authorities who have raised certain technical objections regarding the proposed site for the international airport at Chakan and we are confident of resolving this issue soon,'' Mr Pawar said.

With air travel out of the city, especially international travel on the rise, the city is now on the way to become a destination for other airlines, which want to expand their international destinations. Both the Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Praful Patel, and the Air India Chairman and Managing Director, Mr V. Thulasidas, said here that the possibility of a Pune-London flight beginning next year is under consideration.

Indian Airlines, meanwhile, is kick-starting its first international flight out of Pune, to Singapore on Tuesday.

Air India, meanwhile, is likely to come out with its IPO in the first half of 2006 after the airlines receives a report from DSP Merryll Lynch.

"We will forward the report to the Government for their formal approval and as soon as that happens, we will go ahead with the IPO,'' Mr Thulasidas said.

The airline, meanwhile, is in expansion mode and is awaiting Government clearance to go ahead with its proposal to acquire 68 additional aircraft, according to Mr Thulasidas who said that by 2007-08, the airline would have the youngest fleet of aircraft with the most facilities for passengers.

Even as Air India prepares to kick-off non-stop, full load flights to destinations such as the US, its budget airline, Air India Express, is awaiting an additional fleet of seven aircraft before it charts out its course to South-East Asian destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur and additional sectors in the Gulf such as Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain, said Mr Thulasidas, adding that all the additional flights will be in place by end 2006.

The Pune airport, (which it is under the Air Force control since the city has an important Air Force base) meanwhile, will also soon have its own cargo complex to facilitate exports of the agri-produce from the region, and foods from the industrial belt in the region according to Mr Patel.

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