Flight delays & misplaced luggage irks passengers at Pune Airport

Pune International Airport (PNQ) now handles 182 daily arrivals and departures of flights. With the increase in the number of flights, it is observed that the number of complaints has also increased significantly.

Currently, there is a huge influx of passengers due to summer vacations, passengers seem to be constantly complaining about delays in security checks at the airport. No measures have been taken by the airport administration and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Passengers frequently suffer as a result of airlines’ poor planning. Recently, passengers were made to wait at an aerobreeze for 25-minutes to board an Indigo flight. Additionally, the luggage of 25 passengers on a SpiceJet trip from Pune to Dubai was misplaced on April 14.

Adding to the box of complaints, the passengers are frustrated due to the compulsion to use ‘Digiyatra’ as well. The Ministry Of Civil Aviation (MOCA) & Digi Yatra Foundation is the organization behind DigiYatra. Based on the Facial Recognition System, it offers a Biometric Enabled Seamless Travel (BEST) experience. Its goal is to enable contactless passenger identification at critical checkpoints such as the boarding gate, security check, and airport entry.

It is worthy to note that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new terminal last month to increase the efficiency at the airport, but it isn’t yet operational. The new terminal also awaits approval from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to set up various food and beverages and retail outlets. The airport awaits the body’s (BCAS) final security approval as well as the deployment and reporting of around 230 CISF personnel.