Pune, the cultural capital and the second largest state of Maharashtra has thrived for centuries. Widely famous as the ‘Oxford of the East’, this eighth-largest city in India is not only famous for its cultural ethnicity, but is also a leading manufacturing and IT hub. Its high pace of growth and quality of education attracts migrants from all over India and the world. From students, to retailers, manufactures, to investors, Pune has always made people feel at home and offered its residents a relatively enhanced standard of life in terms of social, civic and economic infrastructure, resulting in the Mercer 2015 Quality of Living Ranking scoring Pune much higher than most other cities in India including Mumbai and New Delhi.
The proliferation of large global corporations from sectors as varied as IT & ITeS, Auto & Auto Ancillary, Engineering, Manufacturing, Food Processing, Banking and Finance, etc. has provided a fillip to development in Pune. World-renowned major manufacturing, engineering and auto companies such as Bajaj Auto Limited, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Kirloskar, Cummins India, JCB, etc., together that have made Pune 8th largest metropolis in India with a GDP of 69 billion USD. The presence of global OEMs like Mercedes Benz, Piaggio, Skoda, General Motors, Volkswagen and Fiat and home-grown global manufacturing companies such as the world’s 5th largest vaccine producer, Serum Institute of India has given Pune a huge geographical advantage, which has immensely encouraged exports and earned the city a place on the global business map, making it one of the top 5 markets in India for Foreign Direct Investment(FDI). According to the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Pune has also been the single largest hub for German companies for almost 6 decades, with over 300 of these setting up business here to an investment tune of more than 650 million Euros.
A growth curve as tremendous as this, has naturally paved the way for the expansion of services and facilities that support business, exports, entertainment and aspirational lifestyles. The most vital of these services is international connectivity to and from Pune. There are various international flights that connect Pune to other cities around the world, suiting the travel needs of both business and leisure travelers. Airlines such as Spice Jet and Air India operate direct flights to Dubai while Jet Airways-Etihad operate flights to Abu Dhabi. With a large number of German manufacturing companies in Pune, it is only natural that Lufthansa operates a direct flight to Frankfurt, aiding trading and commerce between the two cities.
Direct Flights from Pune
In addition to these direct flights, Pune is also connected to other major cities in the world by several connecting flights, usually via Mumbai, Delhi and other cities.
Connecting Flights from Pune
More recently, affluent Puneites have also demonstrated a growing appetite for international leisure travel, with much emphasis on seeking meaningful experiences through travel. Thus, has emerged the trend of travelling to far-off and out-of-the-ordinary destinations across the world. This sort of leisure travel is ably supported by the direct and stop-over flight connectivity that Pune airport offers.
In order to give Pune a much-needed boost on the global travel map and provide ease of commute to the growing group of frequent flyers in the city, the Government of Maharashtra recently approved and allotted land for the new greenfield International Airport for Pune at Purandar. The proposed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje International Airport will sprawl 2,400 hectares and will be located 15 to 20 km away from Pune, eventually allowing people to fly directly to many more locations across the world.
The new airport will indeed be a spectacular addition to the already thriving city and undoubtedly raise the bar a couple of notches higher for growth and convenience.
