AAI finalizes plan for airport expansion in Pune

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has planned to expand the facilities at the Pune airport and is working out an arrangement with the Indian Air Force to get 2.5 acres of land adjacent to the airport. The expanded facilities, among others, are meant to transport vaccines from vaccine manufacturer - Serum Institute of India, located adjacent to the airport. The airport management is in discussions with Serum Institute to understand the requirements because a significant amount of freight is expected to go out of the institute. Pune-based Serum, the world's largest maker of vaccines by several doses, has been licensed by Oxford-AstraZeneca to test, manufacture, and distribute its vaccine against the coronavirus in India.

As the country is moving closer to rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination program, airports and logistics players are working to ensure it happens seamlessly - by expanding cold chain facilities and setting up computerized trucking slots for efficient redistribution from airports. While Pune will be one of the hubs for the distribution of domestically-manufactured vaccines, the bulk of the vaccine consignment will be imported through major international airports including Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. Delhi, the country's largest airport has launched ― 'Project Sanjivani' to equip cargo terminals with special cooling chambers. The airport has the capacity to handle 54 lakh vials of the vaccine a day with two complete rotations.