Baramati airfield: A runway with a troubled history

About Baramati airfield

Baramati airport is one of 15 ‘domestic unlicensed airports’ in Maharashtra, as listed by the Maharashtra Airports Development Company (MADC). It is owned by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). The airfield has one asphalt runway measuring 7,710 feet (2,350 metres).

Shivaji Taware, manager of the Baramati airfield, in an earlier conversation, had said the strip was first set up in the 1990s and primarily sees six to seven charter flights per month, mostly involving politicians. In 2009, the airfield – along with four other similar facilities in Maharashtra – was leased to step-down subsidiaries of Reliance Infrastructure Limited for development. But due to a lack of development and flights, MIDC took back possession in 2025.

Today, the airfield is also home to two flight training organisations (FTOs): Academy of Carver Aviation Private Limited and Redbird Flight Training Academy.

A history of mishaps

The accidents go back more than a decade. On June 29, 2013, a Cessna 172R aircraft (VT-BUD) belonging to the Academy of Carver Aviation suffered an incident at the airfield. The trainee pilot was rescued, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.

On February 5, 2019, another Cessna 172S (VT-RDX) of the same academy met with an accident during an emergency landing at Baramati, seriously injuring the pilot.

On September 20, 2021, a Tecnam P2008JC aircraft (VT-RBE) operated by Redbird Flight Training Academy crashed, causing significant damage to the aircraft, though the pilot escaped unhurt.

On July 25, 2022, a Cessna 152 (VT-ALI) belonging to the Academy of Carver Aviation made a forced landing at Kadbanwadi in Indapur taluka due to a probable engine failure. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The incident was subsequently investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

Then, within a single week in October 2023, Redbird Flight Training Academy was involved in two crash-landings in the same village. On October 19, a trainer aircraft crash-landed on a farm in Katfal village near Baramati around 4.30 pm due to a technical glitch; both the trainer and trainee sustained minor injuries. Just three days later, on October 22, another Redbird aircraft made an emergency landing at the same Katfal village, again injuring both pilots on board.

Following those two back-to-back incidents, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended Redbird Flight Training Academy’s operations at all its locations on October 24, 2023. The suspension was later lifted after safety audits and re-certification of its maintenance organisation. But the accidents did not stop.

On January 28, 2026, just over three months ago, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and five others were killed when a Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK), operated by VSR Ventures, crashed during a landing attempt at Baramati airport. It was the deadliest aviation accident in the airfield’s history. And now, Wednesday’s crash-landing near Gojubavi village – the eighth incident in 13 years.

What experts say

Aviation analyst Dhairyashil Vandekar says the crash-landing pattern at Baramati points to deeper, systemic gaps in oversight.

“Ultimately, the regulator – DGCA, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation – has the responsibility to oversee whether aircraft training academies comply with set standards with regards to pilot training, serviceability of aircraft, training of trainer pilots, and updates of logbooks, among other factors,” Vandekar said.

He added that the frequency of incidents at Baramati should itself be a cause for alarm. “Though there is no casualty in Wednesday’s crash, in aviation, the accident happening itself is equally serious as that of lives lost. And this is one industry where accidents are not expected – at least not so often.”

Vandekar also pointed to a structural problem that has gone unaddressed for years: Baramati airport does not have a permanent, professional Air Traffic Control (ATC). “Operations are controlled by the training academy’s ATC, and it has to be upgraded,” he said.

On the regulatory side, he called for a sharper approach. “Just carrying out checks of private and training aircraft is not sufficient – the frequency needs to be increased, and swift and strict action needs to be taken by DGCA in case of non-compliance and irregularities. There is also an urgent need to strengthen regulatory oversight of FTOs and N-SOPs to ensure strict compliance, particularly with respect to pilot training standards and aircraft airworthiness.”

“With no necessary upgradation of Baramati airport, it is unfortunate that we haven’t learnt a lesson even after losing the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in the tragic air crash,” Vandekar said.

“Airports serving developed towns like Baramati should no longer be allowed to remain uncontrolled. The government must take proactive steps to ensure that such airports nationwide are upgraded to controlled status, with appropriate infrastructure and oversight to ensure safe, all-weather operations,” he added.