PUNE: Almost a year after Pune airport authorities announced a time-bound entry and exit system for private vehicles, it is yet to be implemented.Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke told TOI that the plan was in its final stages, but officials were still working out the implementation mechanism to ensure passenger convenience. “Some discussions have been underway on how to effectively implement it so that flyers were not left in the lurch. Once we have found a proper way of implementation, it will start,” Dhoke said.He was talking on the sidelines of the announcement of the launch of ‘Yatri Seva Abhiyan’, a pan-India passenger-centric campaign from Sept 17 to Oct 10, 2026, organised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).The delay in implementation has drawn criticism from frequent flyers. They said haphazardly parked vehicles outside the terminal obstructed the traffic and the airport shuttle movement, particularly during late evening and night hours.Ashish Sankule, a Ganeshkhind Road resident and regular flyer, said the airport needed to take a stricter approach towards vehicles blocking the arrival area. “Why was it taking so long for the airport authorities to implement this? It should have been simple – fine vehicles that block the pathway. There would always be people who protest, but the airport authorities needed to be strict,” he said.He said he had witnessed instances when shuttle buses operating between the airport and AeroMall struggled to move because of vehicles parked indiscriminately. “Those who follow the rules and park their vehicles at AeroMall end up finding it difficult to reach passengers waiting at the airport,” he said.Discussions on the time-bound system have been underway since last year. In Feb, airport authorities had said private vehicles would be given a maximum waiting window of 13-15 minutes to enter the airport, pick up passengers and exit. Vehicles exceeding the stipulated time were proposed to be penalised with hefty fines.Another frequent flyer and Koregaon Park resident, Shekhar Sinha, said implementation was necessary, but authorities also needed to address parking on the roads surrounding the airport.“Not just cabs, but private vehicles have been parked everywhere in the vicinity of the airport because people did not want to use AeroMall and pay parking fees. This was causing congestion on Airport Road and New Airport Road, but authorities did not seem to care,” he said.Sinha said airport authorities should implement the time-bound entry system immediately while coordinating with traffic police to tackle roadside parking. “If we have been talking about a ‘Yatri Seva Abhiyan’, these problems also need to be addressed,” he said.Dhoke said the transfer of 13 acres of defence land to the AAI, pending for nearly two years, was expected shortly. He said the required infrastructure has been completed for the Indian Air Force in lieu of the land. “The same was with the Defence Estate Office, and we should get it very soon. Once we get it, a plan would be drawn on what kind of expansion can be undertaken on the land as part of the masterplan,” Dhoke told TOI.
