AI Bhopal-Raipur-Pune flight resumes tomorrow

Bhopal, Aug 2: Air India will re-start its Bhopal-Raipur-Pune flight from tomorrow after Defence authorities in Pune granted permission for the same.

Operations of the flight, launched on May 23, were stopped within four days after Ministry of Defence, which controls operations at the Pune Airport, discontinued the permission granted to AI for some reasons.

"The Defence authorities have now granted permission to Air India to restart the flights to Pune w.e.f. August 3," an AI release said today. According to AI's Area Manager (MP-CG), Vishrut Acharya, the ATR-72 (70-seater) plane will be deployed on the route to provide much needed connectivity to Raipur and Pune thrice a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) from Bhopal.

The aircraft, AI 9865 will leave from Bhopal at 9.30 AM and reach Raipur at 11 AM. From Raipur, it will depart at 11.30 AM and reach Pune at 14.00 PM. From Pune, the flight AI 9866 will take off at 14.30 PM and arrive at Raipur at 17.00 PM, and from there it will fly at 17.30 PM and arrive Bhopal at 19.00 PM, the release said.

Acharya said the response to the flight from the IT sector and students was overwhelming. Based on the response of passengers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Air India would be adding more flights on new sectors in the near future as part of the "Regional Connectivity" plan, he said.

PTI