Pune airport will open new area of growth for city: Sinha

Mumbai: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha has said that the proposed international airport in Purnadar in Pune will open new area of growth for the city. He was speaking at "It's India's Turn Now", a lecture organised at Pune International Centre on Monday.

“The land we have received from the Air Force will let us build a new parking area, and help in managing the traffic flow. It will also let us build a new terminal," Sinha told indianexpress.com.

Pune has witnessed a 25 per cent annual growth in aviation traffic ove rpast few years. According to Sinha, India currently has 6.8 million flyers. "The number is expected to touch 8 million by  next year," he said.

To handle that kind of air traffic, civil aviation should be ready for that, Sinha added. Construction of a new airport is a huge task that takes around six or seven years to complete. Right from acquisition of land to rehabilitation of the project-affected is a lot of work to do, Sinha added.

According to Sinha, India’s Gross domestic product (GDP) is currently growing at 7 per cent. "If we look at it in the context of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), India’s economy is worth 9.5 trillion dollars. In the next decade, it will contribute 11 trillion dollars to the world economy."