Pune Airport to Impose Time-Limited Vehicle Entry, Exit to Ease Congestion

Pune, October 2025 — The Pune airport authorities are preparing to introduce a stricter control system on vehicle entry and exit times within the airport premises, in a bid to reduce congestion and streamline traffic flow. According to airport officials, vehicles entering for drop-off will be granted just 10–12 minutes to enter, drop passengers, and leave. Failure to exit within this time frame may result in penalties.

A proposal outlining this plan has been submitted to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and implementation is expected as early as next month, pending final approvals. Pune airport director, Santosh Dhoke, has confirmed that the measure will help control traffic build-up, particularly during peak hours.

Currently, only private vehicles are allowed to enter airport grounds to drop off passengers. Cabs and auto-rickshaws can drop passengers but are not permitted to pick them up inside — violations currently incur a ₹300 fine. The proposed time-limit system is seen as a move to further discourage misuse of the drop-off area and prevent vehicles from lingering.

Traffic problems are especially acute in the evenings, when queues of private cars often stretch from the departure zone toward the arrival terminal. Officials say that uncontrolled cabs entering and exiting unpredictably worsen the congestion woes. To manage this, the airport has already introduced an express lane for buses transporting passengers to the AeroMall, to prevent delays caused by vehicle logjams near the arrival area.

Some private vehicle owners resist leaving the drop zones quickly and sometimes argue with traffic wardens. Airport authorities say that this behavior further complicates traffic control efforts. A passenger, Ramesh Pakhare, remarked that the arrival zone is chaotic during later hours and that private vehicles often block roads leading to the airport. Costs of parking discourage some from using official lots.

With an average of 30,000 passenger movements daily, Pune airport sees heavy traffic on a regular basis. The implementation of the time-bound entry and exit rule aims to make traffic flows more predictable, reduce jams, and improve overall passenger experience.