India’s Pune Airport, situated in the western state of Maharashtra, will remain closed for 14 days from 16th to 29th October. The closure is required to complete the runway resurfacing work that has been going on for some time now. The announcement comes just ahead of the festive season in India and has not gone down well with passengers and airlines. Let’s find out more.
Runway re-carpeting
Re-carpeting work on Pune Airport’s lone runway began in September last year. Since then, commercial flights to and from the airport have been restricted to a 12-hour window period between 8 am and 8 pm. The airport is expected to be 24 hours operational after it reopens on 30th October.
Pune Airport is part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) station of Lohegaon. While the civil enclave handles commercial flights, the airport is primarily used to train pilots by the IAF, which also controls its air-traffic control and the 2.5km-long runway.
This is to inform all passengers that as per information received from Indian Air Force (IAF), due to runway resurfacing works, all flights from #PuneAirport will not operate for 14 days from 16 October 2021 to 29 October 2021.@AAI_Official @aairedwr @Pib_MoCA @DGCAIndia
— Pune Airport (@aaipunairport) October 5, 2021
According to the Indian Express, Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke has made it clear that the IAF has the final say in the matter as Lohegaon is primarily a defense airfield,
“This is not our decision. This is a defense airfield, and we have to comply with whatever decision the Air Force makes. It’s their prerogative.”
The airport was initially set to be closed entirely for 14 days from 26th April to 9th May this year. However, India’s vaccine manufacturing giant, the Serum Institute of India, which is situated in Pune, needed an operational airport to manage the country’s acute shortage of vaccines at the time. Upon request from the institute, the IAF decided to postpone the shutdown. However, the sudden announcement just weeks before major festivals in India has left many unhappy.
Passengers and airlines not happy
After year-long Covid-related restrictions, airlines were finally excited about the rise in domestic traffic in India. The festive season in October-November and the weeks leading up to it see many Indians criss-cross the country to visit family and friends. Passengers booked to fly in and out of Pune during those 14 days have taken to social media to express their displeasure.
In other news….not going to Delhi this month. Thank you Pune Airport runway closures 😠
— Shahid Khan 💉💉 (@talltoast) October 6, 2021
The airlines have been taken aback as well and will now have to deal with last-minute cancellations. According to the Times of India, an airport official said that passengers are entitled to a full refund because flight cancellations are due to operational reasons. He added that the airlines, however, are not responsible for guaranteeing rescheduling under such circumstances.
Some passengers were anticipating a shutdown of the airport for a month and had booked tickets from Mumbai to avoid any last-minute inconvenience.
New Pune Airport
Being a defense airfield, the Indian Air Force always has the last word on any decision affecting Pune Airport. Plans of constructing a dedicated civilian airport in the city were announced five years ago in 2016, but they remain stuck for various reasons.
The proposed airport at the nearby Purandar Taluka area could possibly affect many villages and has met with opposition from local landowners. The central government is reviewing the situation and has set a 2024 deadline as of now to complete the airport.
A new airport would certainly be welcome by Pune citizens, but the government will also have to be mindful of how it affects the people in the area.
What do you think of the 14-day closure of Pune Airport? Have you been personally affected by the announcement? Do share your comments.
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