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No new flights from Pune in winter schedule despite rising demand
The new schedule announced by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) maintains the existing number of flights without any new additions, much to the disappointment of airlines and frequent flyers
Despite strong passenger demand and onset of the festive rush, Pune Airport has not received any additional flight slots under the new ‘winter schedule 2025’ that came into effect on October 26, 2025. The new schedule announced by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) maintains the existing number of flights without any new additions, much to the disappointment of airlines and frequent flyers.
As such, Pune Airport will continue to operate 208 flights daily, connecting to 34 domestic destinations and two international destinations namely Dubai and Bangkok. While Air India Express and IndiGo will operate flights to Bangkok; SpiceJet and IndiGo will continue daily flights to Dubai. The domestic network covers major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata; and tier 2 destinations such as Amritsar, Bhopal, Raipur, Ranchi and Surat.
No new routes have been approved due to slot congestion and limited apron space at the airport, which operates under shared civil-military use. Officials said that despite growing passenger numbers, the airport’s infrastructure limits expansion. “Even though passenger demand is increasing every season, airlines are unable to expand their operations due to slot limitations and runway congestion. The Diwali rush has begun but without additional slots, we cannot accommodate more flights,” said a senior AAI official at Pune Airport.
At present, Pune Airport is operating with 220 approved slots, 208 of which are in use while 12 have been surrendered due to scheduling challenges. Airlines have expressed interest in adding more destinations, but operational restrictions have forced them to hold back expansion plans.
Meanwhile, Pune Airport has excelled in service quality despite these limitations. In the Airports Council International’s Airport Service Quality (ACI–ASQ) survey for 2025, Pune Airport emerged as the top-performing AAI-run airport globally, achieving scores of 4.92 in Q1, 4.94 in Q2, and 4.96 in Q3, with its global ranking moving up from 59th to 56th place. “Pune Airport’s ASQ performance reflects our strong focus on passenger satisfaction and operational efficiency. Even with existing constraints, our teams have worked hard to deliver a superior travel experience,” said an AAI spokesperson.
