Pune: With the Diwali festival approaching, Pune Airport is preparing for an expected surge in passenger numbers, taking proactive measures to streamline operations and reduce waiting times.

On a regular day, both terminals at Pune Airport handle between 35,000 to 38,000 passengers. During Diwali, this number typically swells by an additional 3,000 to 4,000 travelers, causing strain on airport resources, especially during security checks.

To alleviate these pressures, Pune Airport has introduced specific time targets to improve passenger flow.

For the upcoming season, the airport administration has mandated a maximum of five minutes at the departure gate, ten minutes at the check-in counter, and nine minutes for security check-in.

The airport director has issued detailed instructions to ensure the smooth entry of passengers through access points "D1," "D2," and, during Diwali, also "D3."

Additional personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will be deployed at security checkpoints to enhance the efficiency of screening processes.

In addition, more officers from the Airports Authority of India will be stationed in the terminal, and airline staff have been briefed on managing increased check-in counter traffic.

"We expect increased passenger volume during Diwali, and these measures aim to ensure smooth airport operations without disruptions. Our priority is to minimize wait times in queues through careful planning," said Pune Airport Director Santosh Dhoke.