Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohol stated that direct flight services to 15 new cities in the country will soon start from Pune. Currently, flight services are available to 37 cities from Pune.
The central government has approved 15 slots for new routes, and necessary planning is underway. Mohol clarified that these routes will soon be finalized and air services will commence. These services will provide more travel options to Pune residents and make connections to various parts of the country easier. Mohol stated, “Pune is an important city industrially, educationally, and for tourism. Therefore, the expansion of air transport is a government priority. The new air services will strengthen the business, education, and tourism sectors.”
New routes are likely to include cities like Jaipur, Srinagar, Guwahati, Dehradun, Ranchi, Jabalpur, Amritsar, Surat, Vadodara, Kozhikode, Trivandrum, Bhubaneswar, and Mopa (Goa). Services on some existing routes are also likely to be increased.
Currently, approximately 200 flights operate daily from Lohgaon Airport, with nearly 35,000 passengers traveling daily from here. Therefore, this increasing connectivity is expected to significantly contribute to Pune's overall social and economic development.