Pune: Battery-operated golf carts ferrying passengers arriving at the city airport to the AeroMall will no longer need to navigate the chaotic Airport Road, making for a safer and faster journey, officials said.Soon, all five golf carts deployed for this purpose will use a dedicated internal pathway linking the newer terminal’s arrival area directly to the AeroMall entrance near the old departure gate, eliminating the need to travel on the busy road outside.The change follows the completion of the new Security Hold Area (SHA) in the old arrival section and integration of the old and newer terminal buildings.AeroMall vice-president YS Rajput said the connecting pathway has been repaired and smoothened for passenger movement. “Earlier, many passengers preferred walking from the arrival area to the old departure gate instead of taking the shuttle bus. From there, they could access the AeroMall through the elevator, staircase or escalator. With the pathway now upgraded, three of our five golf carts have already started using this internal route instead of the congested Airport Road. Soon, all five battery-operated carts will operate through this corridor,” he told TOI.At present, arriving passengers have multiple options to reach the AeroMall for cab pick-ups. They can board the shuttle bus, which exits the terminal, crosses the Symbiosis College Road (New Airport Road) junction and reaches the AeroMall entrance. Golf carts currently follow the same route, while passengers can also walk through the internal pathway to the old terminal before accessing the AeroMall skywalk. Uber also operates a premium cab counter near the arrival gate, primarily catering to senior citizens and passengers carrying heavy luggage.Airport officials said the internal pathway had been temporarily closed during construction of the new SHA, but has now reopened after significant improvement.With the airport handling around 15,000-16,000 arriving passengers every day, regular flyers welcomed the move, saying the Airport Road intersection had become increasingly chaotic and unsafe for slow-moving golf carts.“There are cabs, autorickshaws, shuttle buses and even PMPML buses constantly moving around. The road is often clogged with vehicles parked haphazardly, and drivers frequently make sudden turns. Watching golf carts carrying passengers and luggage negotiate that traffic has always been worrying. An accident could happen anytime,” said Vidyansh Singh, a doctor and frequent flyer.Kalyaninagar resident Usha Paprekar, who recently flew in from Delhi, recalled a close call while travelling in a golf cart with her husband. “How can the airport allow golf carts carrying passengers onto such a busy road? Last month, an autorickshaw suddenly swerved in front of our cart. It was frightening. Travelling to the AeroMall has always been inconvenient. The authorities should instead allow a few pre-paid autorickshaws to operate from inside the airport premises,” she said.However, pre-paid auto operators said they were disappointed by the continued lack of access. “More than a year ago, Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol had assured us that three or four autos would be allowed to park inside the airport and pick up passengers. Nothing has happened since. Whenever we seek a meeting with airport officials, we are denied appointments,” said Prakash Rajguru, president of the LV Antaral Autorickshaw Sanghatana.Survey for new operational modelA preliminary assessment for the introduction of the ‘hub-and-spoke’ operational model at Pune airport was conducted on Sunday with the participation of senior officials from ministry of civil aviation (MoCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), and other key stakeholders. During the meeting, a detailed presentation was made highlighting the concept of the hub-and-spoke model, its operational requirements, anticipated benefits, and the infrastructure and process enhancements required for its implementation.Following discussions, a comprehensive survey of the airport premises was conducted to assess existing infrastructure and identify requirements necessary for facilitating implementation of the model. The hub-and-spoke is an aviation routing system where airlines direct passenger traffic through a central major airport (‘hub’) rather than flying direct point-to-point routes between smaller cities (’spokes’). This consolidates travellers onto large trunk flights, making global connections economically viable.
