Pune airport gets 15 new slots; new routes to Tirupati, Mangaluru from May

On the Solapur-Pune leg, flights will arrive in Pune at 3:20 pm and depart back to Solapur at 4:00 pm six days a week except Saturday. While the Saturday service will arrive at 4:10 pm in Pune and depart at 4:40 pm. Timings for the Solapur-Tirupati leg are yet to be announced.

Mangaluru

FLY 91 will launch flight IC 1609/1610 connecting Mangaluru and Pune effective May 1. The flight from Mangaluru arrives in Pune at 6:40 pm and departs from Pune back to Mangaluru at 7:05 pm. The service will operate all seven days of the week.

Bagdogra

Air India will operate flight AI 4171/4172 between Bagdogra (IXB) and Pune effective May 1. The inbound flight arrives in Pune at 12:25 pm and departs at 1:15 pm, Monday through Sunday.

Dhoke highlighted the strategic importance of Bagdogra in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. “Bagdogra is strategically important as it serves as a gateway to the Northeast. Direct connectivity from Pune will significantly ease travel to these areas,” he said.

Goa-Chennai via Pune

SpiceJet will launch flight SG 1080/1080, operating between Goa and Chennai via Pune effective May 1. The flight arrives in Pune from Goa at 8:00 pm and departs at 9:00 pm to Chennai, running Monday through Sunday.

Varanasi

Akasa Air will operate flight QP 1313/1314 between Varanasi (VNS) and Pune effective May 1. The flight arrives in Pune from Varanasi at 1:50 pm and departs back from Pune at 2:35 pm, running Monday through Sunday.

Bengaluru

Air India Express will fly between Bengaluru and Pune on flight IX 1971/2718 effective May 1. The service will operate six days a week except Saturdays. As per the airline’s official booking website, flight IX 1971 departs Bengaluru at 12:45 pm and arrives in Pune at 2:15 pm, while flight IX 2718 departs Pune at 2:55 pm and reaches Bengaluru at 4:40 pm.

Patna

IndiGo will launch flight 6E 2183/2184 connecting Patna and Pune effective May 2. The service will operate three days a week – Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. As per IndiGo’s official booking website, flight 6E 2183 departs Patna at 3:40 pm and arrives in Pune at 6:05 pm, while flight 6E 2184 departs Pune at 6:40 pm and arrives in Patna at 9:00 pm.

At present, except IndiGo and Air India Express, no other airline mentioned in the schedule has opened bookings for passengers.

UDAN routes continue

Beyond the new routes, Pune Airport continues to serve four regional destinations under the Government of India’s Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN): Nanded, Kishangarh, Sindhudurg, and Jalgaon.

“These RCS routes are instrumental in enhancing last-mile connectivity and promoting balanced regional development. The increase in slot capacity is to provide enhanced connectivity, improved passenger convenience, and support the region’s economic growth,” said Dhoke.

Aviation analyst Dhairyashil Vandekar welcomed the development. “This is a welcome development. Pune Airport has increasing demand across already existing routes, and these new routes will be beneficial for regional connectivity,” he said.