After Mumbai, Pune is the second-largest city in the state of Maharashtra. By road, the two cities are separated by 150 km and a drive of about three hours. Currently, there are no scheduled flights between Mumbai and Pune, and Air India’s booking site shows a block time of one hour. So, why is Air India starting this short route? Let’s find out.

Short distance

When traveling between Pune and Mumbai, a commercial flight isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. After all, the cities are 150 km apart and well-connected by road and railways.

Air India’s schedule also shows that the connection is not for those looking for a work-related commute that allows them to return within a day. The service will start on March 26th and operate on all days except Saturday. Air India isn’t the first airline to fly on this route. Before Jet Airways went bust, it flew this route and was the only airline doing it.

Flight AI 613 will depart Mumbai at 09:45 and has a scheduled arrival in Pune at 10:45. The return flight AI 614 will leave Pune at 11:20 and reach Mumbai at 12:20. So, what kind of passengers is Air India targeting through this service?

Feeder service?

Despite tremendous demand, Pune’s airport lacks good international connectivity (more on that later). Those from the city looking to travel abroad must first travel by road to Mumbai or take other inconvenient flight connections.

Mumbai, on the other hand, is very well-connected to several key offshore destinations, with many airlines recently starting several new international flights from the city. Air India has launched two new services from Mumbai to the US – to San Francisco and New York JFK.

Aviation analyst Ameya Joshi points out that this new flight from Pune conveniently connects Air India passengers to its flight to San Francisco from Mumbai, which has a scheduled departure time of 14:30. The carrier’s two other flights from Mumbai to Newark and JFK do not sit well with the Pune schedule. Still, perhaps Air India could tweak the timings in the future.

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But there are several other international flights in and out of Mumbai, which passengers of the Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai flight could benefit from. Air India’s booking website also shows that a return airfare between Mumbai and Pune, when booked almost a month in advance, comes to less than ₹5,000 ($60). Air India will also use the smallest plane in its fleet on the route – the Airbus A319.

Lack of international connectivity

Pune is an IT and technology hub that houses major corporate offices from India and worldwide. It's also home to several popular universities, attracting thousands of students each year. As such, there’s plenty of demand for international flights to and from the city.

But one of the main reasons many foreign carriers have stayed away from Pune is the airport's short runway, which cannot support widebody aircraft crucial for long-haul operations. The airport's runway needs an extension of at least 1 to 1.5 km in length for a big plane to land safely.

Lufthansa did try connecting Pune with Frankfurt with a Boeing 737 aircraft with lie-flat beds, catering to the high inflow of business travelers. But when the agreement with the jet's provider fell through in 2018, Lufthansa replaced the aircraft with an all-economy Airbus A319. The new service with the Airbus jet was so bad that the route was nicknamed the "world's worst flight."

Pune Airport is part of the Indian Air Force (IAF) station of Lohegaon. While the civil enclave handles commercial flights, the airport is primarily used to train pilots by the IAF, which also controls its air-traffic control and the runway.

Obtaining slots suitable for global airlines is also an issue due to restrictions on operating civilian flights during specific periods. Being a defense airfield, the Indian Air Force always has the last word on any decision affecting Pune Airport.

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A new Pune airport has been proposed, but realistically, there’s still some time before it will become a reality. Hopefully, Air India’s new service will offer some solutions to international travelers out of the city.

What are your views on this? Please leave a comment below.

With inputs from Moneycontrol

• 

  Air India

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AI/AIC

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1946

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Campbell Wilson

  Country:

  India

  Region:

  Asia