Pune airport will remain closed for fourteen days from October 16 to October 29 to complete the runway resurfacing work and it will resume from October 30 as informed by Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke.
According to the reports, the flight operations will remain completely closed from tomorrow till October 29 and it will resume from October 30. Indian Air Force (IAF), which manages the runway operations stated that due to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the runway and associated operating surfaces at the Air Force Station, Pune, the runway resurfacing had become urgent.
The report further added that the partial closure of the runway was done for 12 hours daily during the night from October 26, 2020, to October 25, 2021, for the works, in order to cause the least disturbance to civil aviation.
IAF in an official statement stated that – “A 14-day complete closure was planned from April 26 till May 9, 2021, to undertake the resurfacing of the central bitumen portion of the runway. However, due to emergent requirement of transport of Covid-19 vaccines, The Ministry of Defence had directed to defer the complete closure of the runway.”
The statement further added – “The exact dates of closure from October 16 to October 29, 2021, could be promulgated only after the requisite approvals were obtained from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and The Ministry of Defence. As per the present plan, flight operations would resume from October 30 2021, before the Diwali festival.”
