Three flights delayed, diverted after extended IAF ops at Pune airport

Flights of Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara, which have a base at Pune airport, were affected between 10:30 am and 11 am.

Flights of Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara, which have a base at Pune airport, were affected between 10:30 am and 11 am. (Express Photo)

Due to extended Indian Air Force (IAF) operations, Pune Airport faced runway restrictions, resulting in delays and diversions of three flights on Wednesday, an official informed. The IAF activities took half an hour longer than scheduled, causing inconvenience to passengers.

Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke confirmed the diversion of three flights. He said, “The Indian Air Force conducts regular activities on the runway from 8:30 am to 10 am but exceeded the scheduled time by half an hour, till 11 am. This impacted services during this half-hour window when typically three to four flights operate.”

Flights of Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara, which have a base at Pune airport, were affected between 10:30 am and 11 am. Vistara announced on X (formerly Twitter), “Flight UK971 from Delhi to Pune (DEL-PNQ) has been diverted to Mumbai (BOM) due to runway restrictions at Pune Airport and is expected to arrive in Mumbai at 10:45 hours.”

Air India flight AI565, expected to arrive in Pune from Bangalore at 10:50 am, landed at 4:38 pm. Meanwhile, IndiGo airline’s flight 6E 502 from Chennai to Hyderabad was diverted to Pune.

Passengers expressed outrage on social media over the lack of alerts regarding delays and diversions. @rajatangri, a passenger, posted against IndiGo, stating that his flight from Pune to Delhi was delayed by over 150 minutes. IndiGo responded, “Sir, we regret the inconvenience caused due to the flight delay. The incoming flight was delayed due to runway restrictions at Pune Airport.” Another X user expressed frustration over Vistara’s failure to notify passengers traveling between Pune and Delhi.

Shubham Tigga

Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More

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