Pune, 18 April 2026: Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the Airport after a late-night incident involving an Indian Air Force fighter aircraft halted runway operations around 10:30 pm.
With all night flights cancelled, commuters had no option but to wait at the airport for hours without clarity on rescheduling.
The disruption led to large-scale cancellations across airlines. IndiGo cancelled 31 arrivals and 34 departures, the highest among all carriers. Air India cancelled six flights, while SpiceJet, Akasa Air, and Air India Express also reported multiple cancellations.
Passengers were offered rescheduled tickets, many for flights over the next two days.
Despite the scale of disruption, several passengers reported lack of basic facilities or assistance from Pune airport authorities. Passengers had to manage everything themselves through the night. There were no proper arrangements made for stranded passengers.
Frustrated by delays, some travellers chose to leave the airport and head to Mumbai to catch alternative flights, especially those travelling to Goa.
Authorities said departure operations resumed at 7:30 am on Saturday (April 18), followed by arrivals at 8:00 am. While services are gradually returning to normal, the disruption continues to affect passengers, with delays and rescheduling still ongoing.