Archive · 10 Aug 2026
MP Gaikwad Demands Airport Renaming, Female Lavatories On Flights
A member of parliament in India named Varsha Gaikwad helps make rules for the whole country.
She wrote letters to the minister in charge of flying and airports, whose name is Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.
In her letters, she asked for two things.
The first thing was to give the new airport near Navi Mumbai the name of a leader called D. B. Patil.
D. B. Patil was an important leader who helped people in the area many years ago.
The government of Maharashtra already voted to use this name, but the central government has not said yes yet.
The second thing she asked for was for planes to have at least one bathroom just for women and girls.
She said this would make flying cleaner and more comfortable for women, elderly people, pregnant women and mothers with small children.
She also wants airlines to keep bathrooms clean during the whole flight.
Now the minister will decide what to do about her requests.
MP Varsha Gaikwad wrote to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on August 6 urging immediate approval and notification of the name 'Loknete D. B. Patil International Airport' for Navi Mumbai International Airport.
She cited growing public dissatisfaction over the delay in approving the airport's name as it nears operationalisation.
Both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed a resolution on June 29, 2022 proposing the name, which remains pending with the central government.
Gaikwad highlighted D. B. Patil's role as a five-time MLA, two-time leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and two-time MP, including his leadership in the 1984 Uran movement that secured the 12.5% developed plot scheme.
In a letter dated August 4, 2026, she urged the ministry to mandate at least one female-exclusive lavatory on flights with multiple lavatories and to require standardised inflight sanitation procedures.
- Who
- Varsha Gaikwad, Member of Parliament for Mumbai North Central, writing to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.
- What
- Demands for urgent approval of the name 'Loknete D. B. Patil International Airport' for Navi Mumbai International Airport and for designated female-exclusive lavatories on commercial flights, with standardised inflight sanitation.
- When
- Letters dated August 6 (airport naming) and August 4, 2026 (lavatories); the naming resolution was passed by the Maharashtra legislature on June 29, 2022.
- Where
- Maharashtra, India, concerning Navi Mumbai International Airport and commercial airlines operating in India; addressed to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.
- Why
- Public dissatisfaction over the delayed renaming approval and hygiene discomfort for female passengers using gender-neutral inflight lavatories.
- Proposed name
- Loknete D. B. Patil International Airport
- MP
- Varsha Gaikwad (Mumbai North Central)
- Addressed to
- Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu
- Letter dates
- August 6 (airport naming); August 4, 2026 (lavatories)
- State resolution
- Passed unanimously by both Houses of Maharashtra legislature on June 29, 2022; pending central approval
- D. B. Patil's roles
- Five-time MLA, two-time leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, two-time MP
- Lavatory demand
- At least one female-exclusive lavatory on flights with multiple lavatories; gender markings on new aircraft; standardised inflight cleaning