Pune airport to roll out time-bound entry system for private vehicles by March

Pune: A time-bound entry system for pick-ups by private vehicles is expected to be rolled out by the city airport authorities by Feb-end or March this year. "We are awaiting a nod from our headquarters pertaining to this. The system will be rolled out soon," Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke told TOI on Monday.
Private vehicles will be given a time of 13-15 minutes to wait in front of the arrivals area to pick up incoming flyers, failing which they will be slapped with a hefty fine. "The system will help to curb the congestion that takes place at the airport's terminal building, particularly during late evening hours. A system is being prepared as per which the time a private vehicle enters the building for a pick-up will be recorded, and the same matched as the vehicle exits," another official explained. At present, while both private and commercial vehicles — such as cabs and autorickshaws — can drop flyers off at the airport, the permission to pick them up from the premises is only for private vehicles. Those wishing to hail cabs or autos to exit the campus have to move to the AeroMall. The AeroMall has started a system wherein those in urgent need of pick-ups by commercial vehicles can ask for the same at a counter near the arrival area, and cabs are called for them to expedite the process. Pune airport records around 17,500 arriving passengers each day, and around 11,000-12,000 private vehicles come to the airport for pick-ups and drops. In addition, around 5,000-6,000 cabs enter and exit the airport on average daily. YS Rajput, vice-president of the AeroMall, told TOI that talks regarding the introduction of this time-bound system have been on for some time. "For now, private vehicles take their own time when they park in front of the arrivals area. This is the case even for vehicles that have come to the terminal building to drop off passengers, like friends, relatives, associates, etc. They just stay parked, even when there is a rule that drop-offs should be done fast. The delay affects the circulating area, leading to congestion. The crowding of vehicles near the arrivals area spills towards the departures side, too, escalating the problem," Rajput said. Flyers also said the waiting time is too long, considering the space available in the airport's circulating area. "There have been many instances when the arrival area is choked by a large number of private vehicles, making manoeuvring very difficult. The parking time given shouldn't be more than seven or eight minutes per vehicle, or else the congestion will just increase and become unmanageable," said Suryakant Dixit, a doctor and frequent flyer. Nishant Kumar, another regular flyer and IT professional, said, "Mainly during late evening hours outside the airport, many private vehicles can be seen standing by the roadside. This makes the already narrow road even more difficult to navigate. At night, there are no police around, and everyone takes advantage of the situation." Aviation analyst and expert Dhairyashil Vandekar said that the airport authorities need to team up with the police to tackle traffic congestion on roads leading to and from the facility. "Both agencies must coordinate and resolve this issue. If approach roads to the airport are not free from congestion, flyers will suffer, and there is a chance of missing flights. Night-time patrolling by authorities is the need of the hour," he said.