Pune Airport Director, Mr. Santosh Dhoke said, “Flight operations will remain completely closed from tomorrow till October 29 and it will resume from October 30.”
Indian Air Force / IAF, said that because of the deteriorating condition of the runway and associated operating surfaces at Air Force Station, Pune, the runway resurfacing became urgent.
Partial closure of it was done for 12 hours daily, during night from October 26, 2020 to October 25, 2021 for the works, r to cause the least amount of disturbance to civil aviation.
IAF statement said, “A 14-day complete closure was planned from April 26 till May 9, 2021 to undertake the resurfacing of the central bitumen portion of the runway. However, due to emergent requirement of transport of COVID-19 vaccines, The Ministry of Defence had directed to defer the complete closure of runway.” The closure of the airport was planned for the 3rd and 4th week of October.
The statement said, “The exact dates of closure from October 16 to October 29 2021 could be promulgated only after the requisite approvals were obtained from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and The Ministry of Defence. As per the present plan, flight operations would resume from October 30 2021, before the Diwali festival.”