PUNE: The construction of the airport’s new terminal building started recently with the excavation work and the authorities are hopeful about making it operational in a year.An airport official said, “According to the deadline, the terminal building is expected to be operational by August 2021. But we shall fast-track the project and if we can make it functional by December 2019 or January 2020, there will be nothing like it.”Earlier, it was announced that the bhoomi puja for the terminal building would be performed on October 20, after which the construction work would start. Pune MP Anil Shirole’s statement that top ministers of the Union government were invited for the event had cast a shadow on the beginning of the construction work fast.“The issue has been resolved. The invitations have been sent and the ceremony will happen according to the appointments given. But we decided to start the construction because the project is important and should not be delayed. Most of the big projects of the Pune airport ’s expansion are on the right track,” the official said.On December 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Bamrauli airport complex at Prayagraj — the erstwhile Allahabad. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) said its complex was completed in a record time of just 11 months.“Our aim is to complete the terminal’s construction within a year. The airport’s apron area has been expanded and the new parking bays are giving us the much-needed breather. The focus presently is on the terminal building. Once its construction starts in full swing, we will be able to concentrate on the other aspects of the expansion plan, including a multilevel parking lot,” another official said.A source said the next year would be crucial for the city airport. “While the growth figures are expected to grow beyond 20%, there is a need to focus more on the services until the new building is ready. The new building and the existing one would be integrated. It means that construction will happen on both fronts (buildings). So, one should focus on making healthy adjustments amid constraints so that passengers do not face problems,” the source told TOI.Aviation expert and analyst Dhairyashil Vandekar said the airport needed to tread carefully in 2019. “The major challenge for Lohegaon airport will continue to be matching its capacity with the increase in flight demand. An imbalance will result in long queues, crowding and congestion at service counters within the airport. With the possibility of runway re-carpeting next year, the civil flight operations from the airport would be adversely affected. Another sore area that needs to be tackled effectively in 2019 is the chaotic traffic situation on roads inside and outside the airport,” he said.