Heavy rain disrupts air traffic at Pune Airport, 14 flights diverted

Additional seating, drinking water, tea, coffee and food arrangements were made to ensure passenger comfort during this challenging period, say officials

The city and its surrounding areas witnessed heavy rainfall accompanied by intense lightning and thunder on the intervening night between September 14 and September 15, severely disrupting air traffic at Pune Airport. Flight operations remained suspended between 12 am and 8 am on September 15, with 14 flights diverted to alternate airports.

According to the Pune Airport authorities, several flights were diverted to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad and Goa. (Representative photo)

According to the Pune Airport authorities, several flights were diverted to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad and Goa. Among them, three flights – IndiGo flight 6E 6037/6472 (Kolkata–Pune–Coimbatore), 6E 1096/6944 (Bangkok–Pune–Goa), and Air India Express 1011/1012 (Delhi–Pune–Delhi) – later managed to return to Pune after conditions improved. Normal operations resumed after 8 am on Monday, with support from the Indian Air Force (IAF) which permitted civil aircraft movements during military block time as per the NOTAM to ensure smooth handling of delayed flights.

Pune Airport director Santosh Dhoke said, “The entire airport team – including the Airports Authority of India (AAI), CISF, airlines and other stakeholders – has been working tirelessly to provide seamless facilitation to our esteemed passengers. Additional seating, drinking water, tea, coffee and food arrangements were made to ensure passenger comfort during this challenging period. Despite the weather-related challenges, our focus remained on passenger safety and ensuring smooth resumption of operations.”

Five flights were consecutively cancelled at Pune Airport on the intervening night between September 14 and September 15. Dhoke said, “Affected passengers were promptly informed by the respective airlines, and efforts were made to accommodate them on alternate flights wherever possible. In cases where rescheduling was not feasible, full refunds were processed as per airline policies. All other airport operations, including arrivals, departures, and ground handling continued smoothly and the overall situation is now stabilising with normal flight operations being progressively restored.”

While the situation gradually normalised, several passengers expressed frustration over inadequate communication and support from the airlines. Vimal Sumbly, a flyer, posted on social media, “Pune rains equal to total chaos. Airlines and Airports Authority take zero ownership. IndiGo cancels 6E391, gives no solution. Just ‘rebook directly’ while fares on the same sector shoot up. No announcements. No compensation. No reschedule. No transfer to Air India or Akasa Air.”

Another passenger, Amit Dixit, said, “My flight 6E 6659 from Nagpur to Pune was diverted to Ahmedabad due to bad weather. We were stranded at Ahmedabad Airport inside the aircraft for over an hour, without being allowed to get off the plane. There was no clear communication from the airline staff, and the situation became very frustrating.”