Pune: The airport authorities said an additional 10 lakh flyers would be added this year to the facility’s passenger traffic recorded in 2025, prompting experts stressing on its infrastructure development.“The crucial project involving the addition of another departure area with a full SHA (security hold area) would be commissioned by March-April this year. It will ensure a seamless check-in and security check process, adding to the existing facilities. With the new SHA, the total area of the terminal building will increase too,” Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke said, as the total passenger traffic increased by around 6% last year compared to 2024.
“Most of the aircraft operating out of Pune are Airbus A320s, having a seating capacity of around 170 passengers. We are talking to airlines for the deployment of some Airbus A321 aircraft with a seating capacity of around 221 flyers. With these steps, the passenger traffic will definitely increase this year,” Dhoke told TOI on Thursday. He said the airport authorities aimed at a projected growth of around 7% in 2026 compared to 2025. “Last year, the overall average growth (passenger, cargo and flights)) of the airport was around 5%. We are working towards improving it further this year. The airport has ample slots. We will stress more on increasing flight movements during discussions with airlines,” the airport director said. According to the figures, the Pune airport’s domestic passenger traffic increased by nearly 5% in 2025 compared to 2024. The international passenger movement increased by more than 65% last year compared to 2024. The flight movements increased last year by around 5% compared to 2024. The cargo movement increased too. (See graphics)The Indian Air Force (IAF) allocated the airport 15 new slots in October, taking up the total number to 237. A source said airlines were yet to take them up. Aviation experts claimed that one of the reasons behind this was the limited infrastructure in terms of parking bays. TOI recently highlighted that the transfer of 15 acres of land from the IAF to AAI (Airports Authority of India) for additional parking bays was still pending. Aviation analyst and expert Dhairyashil Vandekar told TOI, “Continuous capacity expansion is essential to sustain growth while mitigating congestion, flight delays, baggage waits and parking bay shortage. This requires expediting the renovation of the old terminal and its integration with the new terminal building. Besides, runway extension, additional parking and remote bays are required for smooth and safe flight operations.“Businessman Sanjay Rastogi, a frequent flyer, said, “The recent IndiGo crisis should be an eyeopener. The airport authorities will have to work on enhancing its infrastructure without delay.”Frequent flyer Pravin Sarathi said, “There are cases when an aircraft cannot find a bay and keeps hovering or flyers end up sitting inside for hours. Such a situation should not happen.”
