1 day Ago By Joy Sengupta
Pune: The current system at Pune airport has perplexed flyers arriving in the city. Several passengers have complained about chaos and confusion, along with long wait times to book cabs to head home. Last week, Madhuri Sharan (52) and her husband Satish (60) arrived at the Pune airport for the first time from Delhi to meet their friends.
They were clueless after they stepped out of the arrival gate. "It was our first visit to Pune. Our pre-booked cab was cancelled for some reason.
After we came out of the terminal, we spent almost 20 minutes trying to figure out what to do. Later, we came to know about the system and waited in a queue for 10 minutes for a bus to AeroMall. There, we had to wait more than 30 minutes for a cab," Sharan told TOI.
With all flights shifted to the new terminal building of the Pune airport and the number of flights expected to increase from May 31 because of the summer schedule, many flyers said they were unhappy with the current system at the airport. "I arrived from Delhi around midnight a few days ago, and it was total chaos. The arrival area was heavily crowded.
The queue for the bus was very long. Fortunately, my brother picked me up from the airport. The authorities have failed to set up a simple system for years," said Kritagya Ghosh, an IT professional and frequent flyer.
At present, three buses with 40 seats each transfer passengers from the arrival area to the Aeromall. A few battery-operated golf carts, too, make the rounds. The Pune airport witnesses around 190 to 195 flight movements.
Recently, AeroMall authorities said an express lane was created for faster movements of buses to transport flyers. Shikha Dixit, who recently travelled from Goa, said, "The old terminal building is closed, and the work has not started yet. Why can't cabs be allowed on that premises for some time? I arrived in the afternoon, and there was chaos.
One person was informing passengers to go to the Aeromall for cabs, but no one could hear him in the commotion." Dixit said the walking distance from the arrival gate to the AeroMall might not be a lot for youngsters but is a challenge for middle-aged and senior citizens. "Even I was finding it difficult to walk due to the heat and weariness of the journey," he said.
Koregaon Park resident Ravi Phalke agreed with Dixit. "Some cabs can easily pick up passengers from the old terminal building. Right now, there is a system wherein cabs are called for some passengers, but they are expensive.
After arriving, passengers should be able to go home as soon as possible, but that is not the case in Pune," the businessman said. Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke was sent a detailed message asking about the same, and his response was awaited. YS Rajput, vice-president of AeroMall, told TOI, "Buses reach the waiting flyers with 4-5 minutes.
If needed, we can add one more bus, taking the total number of buses to four. Congestion is reported mainly late at night. We have suggested the airport authorities to come up with a travelator right from the arrival gate to the AeroMall entry.
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