CSN-Pune air service remains unfulfilled dream

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Despite being the gateway to Marathwada, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has been waiting for years for a direct flight connection to Pune, Maharashtra’s second-largest metropolitan city. At present, roads to Pune are filled with potholes, and the Nanded–Pune Express runs via Manmad, making travel between the two cities a 7–8-hour ordeal by road or rail. Consequently, passengers are now questioning, when will the city finally get its long-promised air service to Pune?

A large number of people travel frequently between the two cities for jobs, business, and education. Currently, state transport (ST) buses and private travel operators are the preferred means of transport. However, due to the poor condition of the road up to Ahilyanagar, the journey has become increasingly time-consuming, often taking 7 to 8 hours.

The Nanded–Pune Express train is also popular among travellers, but the journey by rail takes about eight and a half hours. Under these circumstances, citizens are eagerly waiting for a direct air service to Pune that would significantly cut down travel time.

Only announcements and discussions so far

In 2022, FlyBig Airlines announced plans to start a Pune–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar flight. However, the proposal never took off. Earlier, in February 2022, the Maharashtra Airport Development Authority (MADC) had also stated during a meeting that a Pune–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar–Nagpur air service would begin soon. Unfortunately, all these announcements and discussions have remained only on paper, with no concrete progress to date.

Follow-up underway

According to Sunit Kothari, President of the Civil Aviation Committee, ATDF, “Travel time to Pune by road remains long and inconvenient. Efforts are now being made to convince airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, Fly91, and Star Air to begin operations between Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Pune. We have been pursuing the matter. A Pune service is possible both in the morning and evening. Passengers could fly to Pune in the morning and return to the city the same evening.”