Bengaluru-Pune flight takes 80 mins, but 18-km airport-to-Baner ride takes 1.5 hours: Man reveals what’s wrong with Pune roads

Flying from Bengaluru to Pune can take little more than an hour, but reaching home from Pune airport can take longer than the flight itself. For Baner resident Prasad Karwa, the contrast became clear on Monday evening when he travelled with his parents from Bengaluru to Pune. The flight covered an aerial distance of around 741 km in about 80 minutes, while the roughly 18-km journey from Pune airport to his home in Baner took around 90 minutes.

Karwa told TOI that the experience highlighted the worsening traffic situation on Pune’s roads.

Pune airport to Baner takes 90 minutes amid heavy traffic

Karwa said he and his parents boarded an Akasa Air flight from Bengaluru at around 4.30pm after a one-hour delay. They landed in Pune at 5.47pm.


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After collecting their luggage, the family reached AeroMall at around 6.10pm and got into a cab about 10 minutes later.

The journey home, however, proved much slower.

“We boarded an Akasa Air flight from Bengaluru at 4.30pm, after an hour’s delay, and landed in Pune at 5.47pm. After collecting our luggage, we reached the AeroMall around 6.10pm and were in a cab by 6.20pm,” Karwa told TOI.

He said traffic remained heavy throughout the journey, with the cab moving slowly for long stretches.

Pune airport traffic leaves flyers frustrated

Karwa compared Pune’s airport commute with Bengaluru, where traffic is also a major concern but the airport is located much farther from the city.

“In Bengaluru too, there is a traffic problem, but the airport is far from the city. In Pune, the airport is practically within the city. Poor road conditions added to the congestion and made the journey more frustrating. We finally reached home around 7.50pm. Traffic in the city has clearly worsened,” he told TOI.

The experience has renewed concerns about road congestion around Pune airport and the wider city.

Pune airport commute has been a long-standing problem

The traffic challenge faced by air travellers in Pune is not new.

In 2017, a techie from Hinjewadi reportedly found himself stuck in traffic after dropping a friend at Pune airport. While the techie was still caught in congestion, his friend called to say that he had already reached Dubai.

For many regular flyers, unpredictable traffic has consequently become a factor to consider when planning a journey to or from the airport.

Pune flyers leave home hours before flights

Anuja Ingle, an entrepreneur from Kalyaninagar, told TOI that she has significantly increased the amount of time she keeps aside for reaching Pune airport.

“I live in Kalyaninagar, about 4km from Lohegaon airport. Yet, for the past year, I have been leaving home at least three hours before my flight so that I have enough time to reach the airport. Poor roads and undisciplined driving have made matters worse,” she said.

Despite living just a few kilometres from the airport, Ingle said unpredictable road conditions have made it difficult to estimate how long the journey will take.

Kondhwa residents also worry about Pune airport traffic

Danish Shaikh, who lives in Kondhwa and frequently travels to Dubai, said he prefers reaching the airport much earlier than required to avoid getting caught in congestion.

“The SpiceJet flight is scheduled at 9pm, but I prefer reaching the airport much earlier to skirt the risk of getting stuck in traffic. Getting out of Kondhwa at times takes more than an hour. I have no idea what authorities are doing apart from making announcements,” he told TOI.

His experience reflects a wider concern among frequent flyers who have started building substantial buffers into their travel plans.

Pune traffic needs focus beyond flyovers and roads

Sustainable mobility expert Pranjali Deshpande said Pune needs to reconsider its approach to tackling congestion.

“The government appears focused on infrastructure for private vehicles, including tunnel roads, HCMTR, flyovers and bridges. The focus should instead be on public transport. If HCMTR is meant for public transport, there is no need to allocate lanes to private vehicles,” Deshpande told TOI.

She said Pune needs to prioritise mass transit and develop infrastructure that encourages commuters to move away from private vehicles.

Pune airport traffic highlights wider mobility challenge

The Bengaluru-Pune journey may take only around 80 minutes by air, but the experience of reaching home after landing can be dramatically different.

For passengers travelling between Pune airport and areas such as Baner, Kalyaninagar and Kondhwa, unpredictable congestion, road conditions and traffic discipline can add significant time to their journeys.

As more residents rely on private vehicles and air travel, the growing gap between fast flights and slow city commutes is putting Pune’s transport infrastructure under renewed scrutiny.


Inputs from TOI