Pune airport to remain shut for two weeks in November after Diwali

In a recent update, the Pune Airport will remain closed for 14 days in November for re-carpeting purposes. The airport will be shut down for passengers after Diwali. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will finalise the dates for re-carpeting work of the runway. During this time, no flight movement would be allowed.

According to an official, the airport is currently waiting for the Indian Air Force to announce the dates as they are the ones who manage the airport's runway. The official said that the re-carpeting needs to be completed without any further delay. Pune Airport was recently opened after remaining closed due to the pandemic for a long time. The airport got operational after the number of COVID-19 cases came down from October 26 last year though most of the flights were not operational and timings of the airport were from 8 AM to 8 PM.
Apparently, the re-carpeting project was supposed to begin in September last year and the authorities had decided to shut the airport from April 26 to May 9. However, the project got postponed due to transportation of vaccines.

The officials told TOI that though the transportation work is still on, the re-carpeting work is necessary and needs to be completed. However, the news has worried travel agents and those who have already booked their tickets. They are likely to get most affected by the airport’s announcement, considering its holiday and festival season.