17 flights from Pune today as domestic services resume

PUNE: Seventeen flights have been scheduled for departure on Day 1 of the resumption of air services from the city’s Lohegaon airport from Monday.

Altogether 34 fight movements, including 17 aircraft reaching the city, have been cleared for the airport. The airport director released a schedule to this effect following a meeting between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the state government officials in Mumbai on operation of flights from airports in Maharashtra.
Seven of the 17 flights are to operate daily. Of the remaining 10, some flights will operate six days a week and some five days a week. The first flight will take off at 6.55am and the last at 11.40pm.
“The flight schedule may change on Tuesday. We have made arrangements for public transport of passengers during the 7pm-to-7am night curfew hours, in coordination with the district administration. The district administration will be able to comment on the arrangement in a better way,” Pune airport director Kuldeep Singh told TOI.
District collector Naval Kishore Ram said, “The police have been told to consider e-boarding passes as the pass for the air ticket holders to reach the airport during the curfew hours. People can use their e-boarding pass reaching airport for an early morning or late evening flight. We have to allow such vehicles. Otherwise, it will be difficult to issue e-pass (issued by the police) for every such private vehicle. The e-boarding pass will act as the e-pass.”
The passengers can also call the ‘Dial an Auto’ service, jointly run by the city police and a private agency, and book auto-rickshaws to and from the airport (see graphic).
The Pune airport authorities tweeted, “In compliance with the state government’s guildelines, no app-based cab aggregators are available at Pune. The passengers have to travel t and from the airport either in their vehicles or they can make use of dial a rickshaw facility on mobile number 9859198591 (WhatsApp).”
A travel agency representative told TOI, “The most number of bookings have been on the flights from Pune to Delhi. But a figure cannot be given at present. We too have been cautious all day towards booking tickets and were not forcing passengers to book due to the uncertainty which prevailed all day. However, many people are desperate to travel as they are stuck and have gone ahead and booked tickets.”
Wakad resident Prabhupada Satapathy, who wants to travel to Odisha, said, “I am constantly checking my flight ticket scheduled for Monday. My flight to Delhi was in the late evening hours but now has been rescheduled for the morning. I am still worried about public transport.”
Among the flights cleared for Monday, SG 275 from Pune to Kolkata might not be operational as West Bengal will open flight movements from March 28.