Pune: The air service connecting Pune to Mumbai in just 55 minutes has been discontinued by Air India due to low passenger demand.
The service, which launched on March 26, 2023, struggled to attract passengers due to its inconvenient schedule. As a result, Air India has shifted its focus to the Pune-Bengaluru route.
The Pune-Mumbai flight's timing, departing from Pune at 12:45 PM, was found to be impractical for most travelers, leading to a lack of interest. Passengers preferred alternative transport methods, citing the mid-day arrival in Mumbai as a significant drawback. Air India, facing low occupancy rates, decided to cease operations on this route just months after its initiation.
The Pune airport administration had been trying to establish an air service between Pune and Mumbai for several years. Last year, a slot was reserved at both Pune and Mumbai airports in the Winter Schedule, but Air India did not respond as expected, resulting in the cancellation of the slot. The service finally began on March 26 in the Summer Schedule, but it failed to attract sufficient passengers.
Flight Schedule:
AI 841: Departed Mumbai daily at 11:05 AM, arriving in Pune at 11:55 AM.
AI 842: Departed Pune at 12:45 PM, arriving in Mumbai at 1:35 PM.
The flight time was 55 minutes, and the ATR-72 aircraft was used for the service.
The first Pune-Mumbai-Delhi daily air service by Air India began 15 years ago, in 2008, and received a good response from passengers. Jet Airways later started a direct Pune-Mumbai flight in 2017, which was also well-received but was discontinued for some reason. The service was resumed in 2023 but was shut down again after a few months.
Reasons for Discontinuation:
The flight's departure time of 12:40 PM from Pune was inconvenient.
Reaching Mumbai in the afternoon made it difficult to conduct business efficiently.
Most international flights from Mumbai are at night, making this service less useful.
The entire day of passengers traveling from Pune was wasted.
As a result, passengers preferred other modes of transport to Mumbai.
Changing the flight timing could have been beneficial.
Reverting to morning and night flights to Mumbai, as in the past, could have attracted more passengers.
Potential Benefits of a Convenient Schedule:
Passengers wouldn't need to rely on road transport.
The 55-minute flight would save considerable travel time.
Traffic on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway could be reduced.
It would be easier to catch international flights from Mumbai.
Cargo services would also benefit.
Dhairyasheel Vandekar, Aviation Expert stated, "To attract more passengers to the Pune-Mumbai air service, it is essential to have a convenient schedule. Morning and evening flight timings would likely result in a better response from passengers, benefiting other stakeholders as well."