Direct flights between Pune and Bhopal to commence from October 1; check timings and other details
Direct flights between Pune and Bhopal are expected to commence from October 1, following a popular demand from passengers.
Indigo, India’s largest and one of the world’s largest airlines, is set to launch Pune-Bhopal-Pune direct flight and it is expected to be operated during night time.
This is because Pune being a military airport, has very few runway slots available during daytime due to air force sorties. Most new commercial flights are introduced during night time.
Indigo will be the first airline to start operations on this route and has already secured slots for a flight from Pune International Airport to Raja Bhoj Airport Bhopal at 1:10 am, with the return flight from Bhopal to Pune scheduled at 1:40 am.
A few of years back, Air India operated a daytime flight on the same route but had to discontinue because of the challenges associated with obtaining slots and NOCs from the military.
According to airport authorities, there are currently 5-6 slots available for night flights. Airlines interested in operating flights during these hours will be give the benefit of free aircraft parking. Discussions are underway with several airlines about launching late-night and early-morning flights.
