New terminal building still not fully ready; flyers irked

Pune: Nearly a month after Pune MP and minister of state for civil aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, handed the first boarding pass to a passenger at the airport’s new terminal building, only 56 flights (28 arrivals and 28 departures) of around 195 daily services are operating out of it. The reason is obvious for every flyer to see — incomplete infrastructure such as F&B and retail outlets, and relocation of the DigiYatra facility and immigration.Facing criticism from political parties and passengers alike, Mohol told TOI on Sunday: “All flight operations, including those for international destinations, will shift to the new terminal building by the first week of September.”

He said the airport has, on an average, got a total of 190 flight movements (95 departures and 95 arrivals) daily. “By August 14, as many as 124 of them (62 arrivals and 62 departures) will relocate to the new building. The operations of the remaining 66 flights (33 arrivals and 33 departures) will continue from the old building but they too will be shifted by the first week of next month or sooner.” When the building was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 10, airport officials claimed all facilities were ready. However, it was not until July 14 when Mohol officially declared it operational that a few airlines shifted their operations. Mohan Joshi, vice president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, said he had recently travelled three times from the new building and was disappointed. “The DigiYatra system has not been activated while the immigration facility is yet to be shifted. The lounges are under construction, and so are many retail and F&B outlets,” he said.Airport director Santosh Dhoke confirmed that DigiYatra would take some more time to get functional. “Final security vetting of the DigiYatra system is awaited. We are also waiting for approval for shifting immigration,” he said.The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security was working towards making DigiYatra operational without much delay, Mohol said. “The immigration clearance should come by the end of August, and once that happens, all operations will move. Presently, around five food outlets have been opened, and the remaining ones, including the lounges and retail units, will be ready within 10-15 days.” Pradyut Sensharma, who recently took a flight from the new building, said authorities had been giving confusing statements since March. “First they claimed the building was ready, but now they are talking about all these approvals pending. How come they could not apply for the clearance for immigration or DigiYatra?” Sensharma, a doctor by profession, said. Prakash Dhingre, a regular flyer, said while the new building gives a feeling of being incomplete as construction inside is still on, the structure itself is impressive. “They should have first completed everything before making it operational.” The airport records between 190 and 195 flight movements every day. IndiGo’s night operations have already been shifted to the new building. From August 13, its daytime movements as well as operations of Vistara will relocate there.
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