Indian full service carrier Vistara has announced that it will launch a new route between Pune and Singapore, marking the first time that the two cities will be connected to each other.
As of 2nd December 2022, Vistara will operate 4-flights-a-week between Pune International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport with the following schedule:
- Pune-Singapore
- Departure time: 02:10
- Arrival time: 10:30
- Flight time: 5 hours and 50 minutes
- Flight number: UK111
- Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
- Singapore-Pune
- Departure time: 11:50
- Arrival time: 15:15
- Flight time: 5 hours and 55 minutes
- Flight number: UK112
- Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Flights will be operated by Airbus A321neo aircraft featuring 12 lie-flat Business Class seats, 24 Premium Economy Class seats and 152 standard Economy Class seats.
We are very excited to be able to launch the long awaited connection between Pune and Singapore. Singapore is a key market for business and leisure travel from various points in India and we are glad that the new route will offer enhanced connectivity to our customers. We continue to densify our network for the convenience of our customers and offer them the experience of flying with India’s best airline.
said Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara.
Stay up to date: Sign up for my newsletter to never miss latest Aviation and Travel news.
Singapore will be third city that will be connected with Pune by Vistara. The airline already operates flights to Delhi and Bengaluru from Pune.
Pune has long been ignored by airlines for international connectivity due to its close proximity with Mumbai, the second busiest city in India in terms of number of passengers served.
The arrival of a new route to Singapore is great for the city of Pune as this opens up a whole world of opportunities for travellers from Pune. Travellers will now not have to travel all the way to Mumbai to catch a flight to Singapore, cutting their travel time significantly.
Singapore is a global hub and travellers will have a host of options to connect and travel beyond Singapore, although in different itineraries.
Presently, Pune has only one international route – Pune-Dubai – operated by SpiceJet. With the launch of this route, Pune will now be connected to two global mega hubs, Dubai and Singapore.
The problem with Pune Airport is that the airport is highly slot constrained, given that the runway is shared with the Indian Air Force, limiting the number of flights served in a day. Also, the runway is not capable of handling widebody aircraft operations, further limiting the scope of international airlines coming in and serving the airport. There is no scope for expansion of the runway until a new airport is built.
In the past, Jet Airways used to operate a flight between Pune and Singapore. However, since the airline ceased operations and went bankrupt in April 2019, the route has not been served. The arrival of Vistara on this route fills the void left by Jet Airways, something which people from Pune have been wanting from a very long time.
Featured image by Ahmedabad Airspace
What do you think of Vistara launching flights between Pune and Singapore? Let me know in the comments section below.
Follow IH Aviation and Travel on Social Media on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.