The state government is finalising a Rs 1 bn overhaul of the small uncontrolled Baramati airport, six months after the crash that killed deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) cleared the proposal and final approval is awaited from a committee led by the state chief secretary after the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation handed the airstrip to MADC in July 2025. Built in the mid?1990s by then chief minister Sharad Pawar, the 1,600 m x 30 m runway remained neglected. The airstrip lacks a perimeter fence and was used mainly by the Pawar family, government officials and businesspersons. Two private flying schools operate there and students assist the air traffic control (ATC) unit because dedicated personnel are absent. The facility has no emergency services and no fire tender, requiring help from the municipal council during the fatal accident and delaying response. Air traffic is limited, with 10 to 12 VVIP flights a month, but the shortage of basic safety infrastructure has persisted. The airstrip depends on Pune for meteorological information. Proposed works include construction of an ATC tower and a fire station, recarpeting the runway and a runway?end safety area of 90 m at both ends. The plan also covers grading, storm water drainage, edge lights and installation of Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights to aid approaches. An eight?km?long compound wall and an internal perimeter road are also proposed. The proposal does not include an Instrument Landing System or a dedicated night landing system and is silent on establishing a permanent meteorological unit at the airstrip. Night operations currently rely on battery?powered lamps installed by students. A former director of civil aviation urged correction of the runway’s inverted hump during recarpeting and expressed scepticism about sustaining political will once key leaders leave office, citing regional projects that stalled after leadership changes. Representatives of the flying fraternity welcomed the upgrades as overdue and urged implementation across MADC airports as basic safety requirements.