Pune Airport introduces e-boarding facility for international passengers

The Bureau of Immigration initiative removes physical stamping of boarding passes, aiming to reduce paperwork, manual checks and congestion at immigration counters.

In a move aimed at providing passengers with a smoother travel experience, international passengers travelling from Pune airport can now use an e-boarding pass to complete their departure process, with the new facility being introduced as part of a Bureau of Immigration initiative.

International passengers departing from Pune airport can now use e-boarding passes on their mobile phones during the departure process. (HT File )

E-boarding replaces physical stamping

As per the information shared by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) Pune, the introduction of the e-boarding facility will do away with the traditional practice of immigration officials physically stamping boarding passes. Passengers can now complete the required departure process using the e-boarding pass available on their mobile phones, reducing the need for physical handling and repeated verification of documents at various stages of the international departure process. The e-boarding system is expected to streamline international departures by reducing paperwork and manual intervention, and minimising the possibility of human errors during document verification and boarding procedures. The removal of the physical stamping process is expected to ease congestion at immigration counters and improve passenger movement during peak travel periods.

“The e-boarding facility will save passengers’ time. The main objective behind introducing this facility is to simplify the process and make the travel experience at the airport more comfortable.” said Santosh Dhoke, airport director, Pune airport.

International traffic from Pune continues to grow

The facility comes at a time when international passenger traffic from Pune airport is increasing. At present, the airport operates international flights to Dubai and Bangkok, with a growing number of passengers travelling to these destinations.

Passengers have also welcomed the move, particularly as international travel involves multiple stages of verification before boarding. “Earlier, we had to keep our documents and boarding passes ready at different counters and wait for the verification to be completed. If the new system reduces this waiting and makes the process quicker, it will be a big relief for international passengers,” said Vipul Alekar, a passenger travelling from Pune to Dubai.