Pune International Airport (PIA) recorded its highest ever flight movement on Sunday, with 204 flights operated within 24 hours – 102 departures and 102 arrivals, according to airport officials.
Santosh Dhoke, director of the airport, attributed this achievement to the fact that since the winter schedule started on October 27, many regional and international flights have been added to the airport’s fleet.
This is the first time in the airport’s history that it has crossed 200 flight movements in a single day. Previously, the airport recorded exactly 200 flights on two occasions: September 16 and October 14, before the start of the winter schedule.
With the expansion of national and international connectivity offered by various airlines, Pune Airport is witnessing continuous growth in both passenger traffic and flight operations. Dhoke said the increase in local and national connectivity operated by airlines and supported by slot distribution by the Airports Authority of India was a major factor behind the increase in flights.
“With the start of the winter schedule, we introduced flights to various local destinations like Bhopal and Indore, added two flights to South India and increased services to Delhi. Additionally, the merger of Vistara and Air India has encouraged better slot utilization,” he said.
“Slot utilization refers to the fixed time allotted to airlines for their operations. However, in some cases, due to low passenger traffic, shortage of crew members or non-availability of aircraft, airlines could not fully utilize these slots,” Dhoke added.
He further noted that these factors have contributed significantly to the growth in flight traffic while regional connectivity to destinations like Nanded, Sindhudurg and Jalgaon has also played a significant role in improving slot utilization.
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