New pick up policy at Pune International airport for Diwali

“With the potential rise in passenger numbers during the festival season, this pick-up service may also be extended to benefit other passengers who were previously excluded,” said YS Rajput, vice-president of Aeromall.

“We are monitoring the rush and passenger flow, which mostly increases at night. In case of a significant surge in occupancy, we will facilitate the direct pick-up service from the new terminal for all passengers,” Rajput added. He said that often no major spike in passenger numbers has been observed yet, but the occupancy rate which is currently around 90 percent may increase to 100 percent during the festival season. More such modifications will be put forward in line with the increase from the usual 90 percent occupancy rate at the airport.

In addition, Aeromall has decided to enhance its managerial workforce by setting up additional help desks outside Terminal 2 to monitor congestion closely, Rajput said. “We have deployed more staff at NITB help desks, who are working in three shifts to ensure service efficiency and minimise inconvenience to passengers,” he said.

To further reduce waiting time and ease congestion within the mall, changes have also been made to the functionality of its lifts. Rajput explained that the mall has five lifts: three with a capacity of 30 passengers each, and two with a capacity of 16 passengers each. “We have disabled call buttons for the three 30-passenger lifts on the upper floors, which were primarily used by drivers and Aeromall staff, leading to long wait times for passengers,” he said.

“To prioritise passenger convenience, we aim at reducing the lift waiting time to under a minute. However, the two 16-passenger lifts will continue operating on all floors for everyone,” added Rajput.