Pune: The Lohegaon international airport in Pune will remain shut for 14 days from October 16 to 30 as the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be undertaking runway resurfacing work and no flight will be able to take off or land at the airport during this period.
“This is to inform all passengers that as per information received from Indian Air Force (IAF), due to runway resurfacing works, all flights from Pune Airport will not operate for 14 days from 16 October 2021 to 29 October 2021,” the airport tweeted through its official handle.
The sudden announcement has caught both airlines and travellers off guard ahead of the festive season such as Dussehra and Diwali.
The runway maintenance work was earlier proposed to be undertaken in April, but was postponed and will now be carried out later this month.
The travelers who had already booked their respective tickets have been left struggling in the dark about the process to cancel or reschedule their travel plans. The airlines also seemed to be taken aback by the sudden decision and have asked the travellers to wait until they got clarity on the concerned situation.
Meanwhile, the closure will also affect the transport of vaccines from Pune manufacturers who will have to ship the cargo via Mumbai.
This is to inform all passengers that as per information received from Indian Air Force (IAF), due to runway resurfacing works, all flights from #PuneAirport will not operate for 14 days from 16 October 2021 to 29 October 2021.@AAI_Official @aairedwr @Pib_MoCA @DGCAIndia
— Pune Airport (@aaipunairport) October 5, 2021
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