The Purandar airport project in Pune has moved into its next planning phase, with the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) beginning the process of appointing a consultant for surveys, technical studies, financial feasibility assessment and preparation of the detailed project report (DPR).
The consultant will also assist MADC with managing the tendering process until the construction tender for the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje International Airport is issued. Deepak Kapoor, vice-chairman and managing director of MADC, announced the development on X, stating that work on the project was progressing and that the consultant appointment process had begun.
The proposed airport is planned across seven villages in Purandar taluka: Pargaon, Kumbharvalan, Vanpuri, Ekhathpur, Udachiwadi, Munjwadi and Khanwadi. Land acquisition for the project is also underway. MADC has already completed a feasibility assessment of land across the seven villages, according to the company.
The next stage will involve detailed surveys and engineering studies needed to prepare the final DPR. These include topographical, geotechnical, hydrological and cartographic assessments. The studies will examine the site’s elevation and contours, soil and rock characteristics, ground-bearing capacity, natural drainage channels and flood risks, while also producing detailed maps of the proposed airport area.
These findings will provide technical inputs for planning the airport’s main facilities and supporting infrastructure. This includes the runway, terminal building, internal roads, drainage systems and other airport components. The survey results are therefore intended to establish the site conditions that will guide the project’s detailed design and implementation planning.
MADC officials said the scope of the engineering studies and technical surveys would be specified in the tender documents for appointing the consultant. Once the consultant is selected, the surveys will be conducted and the findings analysed before the DPR is finalised.
The sequence places the consultant appointment and site studies between the initial land feasibility assessment and the future construction tender. The DPR will have to incorporate the technical and financial findings from these studies before MADC can proceed to the next stage of the airport project.
The proposed airport’s progress will consequently depend on the completion of the surveys, analysis of their findings, finalisation of the DPR and the subsequent tendering process. MADC’s stated next step is to issue the consultant tender, appoint the agency and use its findings to facilitate the construction tender for the Purandar airport.
