Passengers travelling to and from Pune Airport will face inconvenience for 14 days as the authorities, on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, decided to close the airport for 14 days, from October 16 to 29, 2021, due to the resurfacing work on the runway. As per reports, all the bookings between this period will be cancelled by the airlines, and passengers will have to reconsider their plans.
Officials from the Pune airport took to Twitter to share the information, which said, "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."
Passengers have expressed displeasure over the announcement which has come only ten days before the work and some has mentioned that they will have to now reschedule their journey via Mumbai or other nearby airport. On the other hand, passengers have also questioned the decision which has led to confusion due to the lack of formal announcement.
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The work on the runway began in September 2020, and as per the announcements made by the IAF, the runway was meant to be operational for 12 hours in the day from October 26, 2021. Moreover, with an aim to complete the project by October 2021, IAF had then informed that between April 26 to May 9, 2021, the runway would be closed for 14 days to expedite the work. However, this was cancelled and postponed for a later date. As per recent updates, a notice has been sent to the airmen informing them about the closure of the runway, during the above-mentioned dates.
Citizens who have planned their travel during the festival season have criticised this decision and taken to social media to express their displeasure. Officials and representatives have been appealed to intervene while many have marked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, CMO Maharashtra, Aviation Ministry and other concerned departments and officials to reconsider this decision, stating that the airport administration has made an untimely announcement which should not be considered.
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Meanwhile, passengers have also reached out to the airlines to enquire about cancellation and rescheduling refunds due to the inconvenience caused in the 14-day period.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced that the Navi Mumbai international airport will be operational in 2024. These statements were made recently at CIDCO Bhavan while reviewing various city-related issues and said that the work at the proposed airport will be reviewed periodically.
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