Pune: The new terminal at the Pune International Airport was inaugurated with much fanfare. It was brought into use much later. Passengers hoped for an improvement in services and facilities at the airport. 

However, with a growing number of passengers, infrastructural facilities have not increased. Delay in flights is a daily occurrence.

Overall a majority of passengers is not happy with the services and facilities at the airport. In fact, they are worsening with every passing day. A frequent flier said, “Numerous complaints are posted by air passengers using the Pune airport on social media. They are frequently facing issues while travelling via the airport.” 

The new terminal has not helped.

The new terminal finally started operating after a wait of two long years. Meanwhile, the situation worsened. A passenger said, “Air travellers have to go by walk from the new terminal to Aeromall, where there is a parking facility and where a cab can be hired. Aeromall is far away from the new terminal. The airport administration has started two e-buses to travel the distance but the problem persists.”

The airport belongs to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has an airbase here. Therefore, there are restrictions on civil flights. The runway remains closed from 8 am to 10.30 am. The IAF pilots conduct their exercise during this period. The IAF extended this time by another half an hour recently. So, some flights were diverted to other airports. This added to woes of passengers. Similarly, flight delays are frequent. They are delayed by 5-6 hours, which is conveyed to passengers by airlines after they reach the airport. This not only disturbs their travel plans but also inconveniences them a lot.

International flights cannot be added

Only two international flights are available from the Pune airport. Its runway needs to be expanded to add more such flights. A survey was recently done to find out if it was possible. Moreover, the parking bay at the airport also needs to be expanded. 

A citizen said, “A shortage of space and the IAF ownership may not make it possible. Till this issue is addressed, the number of international flights will not increase. Instead of depending on the IAF facility, a new international airport is needed for the city. It is hoped that such issues could be solved quickly as long as Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol is at the helm.”

He added, “A new international airport has been planned in Purandar. However, steps have not been taken in that direction. Nothing happened beyond primary discussions and proposals for many years in the past. This raises a serious question if an international airport will at all be built in the near future. Pune is a growing metropolitan city. It is an industrial hub. Therefore, an international airport is the need of the hour. However, it appears to be a distant dream. Only a unified effort by all party representatives can pave a way out.”