Pune: The Lohegaon airport could have additional space for passengers waiting to board their flights, in time for the festive season, following a crucial inspection of the facility.Airport director Santosh Dhoke said the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) recently completed an inspection of a new security hold area (SHA) and that the report is due. “All the work at the new SHA — installation, commissioning equipment, etc — is complete. Operations will commence once it gets the approval,” he told TOI on Friday.The SHA, developed in the old terminal building, will add 4,000 sqm to the airport’s existing 50,000 sqm area. Work on this facility began early in 2025, but the project has missed several deadlines since February this year.Airport officials now expect the SHA to become operational before October, just in time for the Dasara, Diwali, Christmas and New Year’s holidays. “The important part was the BCAS inspection, which takes time. With that out of the way, we expect approval soon. The new SHA will make the check-in and boarding process smoother,” one official said, adding that the area has been integrated with the new terminal.Pune airport currently handles around 32,000-33,000 passengers and 200 flight movements per day. On Aug 16, the airport recorded 212 flights arriving or departing and a passenger footfall of 31,943 — a shade under the 216 flights and 32,277 passengers a week prior.The new SHA will boast 14 check-in counters, three X-ray baggage screening machines and two remote boarding gates. Another departure gate will be added once the facility becomes operational, officials said.This May, in a bid to assuage concerns over whether the facility would be open in time for the festive travel spike, officials said work on the building was 95% complete and that it would be open in two or three months.Passengers have welcomed the update, while observing that the new terminal, which became operational in 2024, had greatly eased the existing crowding problems. “Crowding is under control, but when flights are delayed, the problem recurs, though it is nowhere near what we experienced in the old building,” Sandeep Kalse, a frequent flyer, said.Somesh Pradhan, a businessman, said the new facility should have basic facilities to cater to passengers’ needs. “As a regular traveller, I hope the new SHA has adequate food stalls,” Pradhan said.
