Pune airport to operationalise 15 additional slots from May 1

Pune: Starting May 1, Pune airport will begin operationalising 15 additional flight slots granted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) last year, airport director Santosh Dhoke announced on Monday.The activation of these slots brings the total capacity at the airport to 235, of which 216 are already in use. "The remaining slots will be allocated to interested airlines based on aircraft availability and network planning, providing further opportunities for service expansion," Dhoke said.Leveraging this enhanced capacity, several new sectors are slated for introduction in the near future. These include flight to Bagdogra (Air India), Mangalore (Fly91) and between Solapur and Tirupati (Star Air).Additionally, increased flight frequencies are expected shortly for existing routes, including Kolkata (SpiceJet), Varanasi (Akasa Air), and Bangalore (Air India Express), offering passengers improved travel flexibility.These 15 slots had remained unutilised for months, including through the winter schedule that ended on March 28. Sources indicated that the IAF had requested the airport authorities to upgrade ground infrastructure before activating the additional slots.To meet this demand, a new security hold area (SHA) is expected to open by May. This expansion will enlarge the departure zone and potentially increase the number of boarding gates. Currently, the airport features 10 gates equipped with aerobridges, along with two remote/bus gates designated for smaller aircraft.On the domestic front, Pune airport now provides direct connectivity to 37 destinations. The highest frequencies remain concentrated on key routes like Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur, alongside regional routes such as Nanded, Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, and Kishangarh.International operations maintain direct links to three major global hubs: Dubai, Bangkok, and Abu Dhabi."All international routes operational during the winter schedule have been retained for the summer schedule," Dhoke confirmed. Currently, Air India Express and SpiceJet operate international services from Pune to Bangkok and Dubai.