The runway at Pune Airport has been temporarily made unavailable following an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, the IAF confirmed on Saturday, adding that the aircrew are safe and there has been no damage to civil property. Efforts are underway to operationalise the runway and resume normal flight operations at the earliest, the Air Force said in its statement.
A senior police official told Moneycontrol that the IAF aircraft experienced a “hard landing” but declined to provide further details. No additional information on the type of aircraft involved, the nature of the hard landing, or the extent of any damage to the aircraft itself has been officially confirmed at this stage.
What Is Known
The Pune Airport runway — which is a shared civil-military facility, with the airport serving both commercial airline operations and the IAF’s Lohegaon Air Force Station — has been declared temporarily unavailable following the incident. The IAF’s statement that the aircrew are safe and that there is no damage to civil property are the two confirmed facts currently on record from official sources.
A hard landing, as described by the police official, refers to an aircraft touching down with a vertical descent rate or impact force beyond normal parameters — an event that can range from minor to severe in its consequences for the aircraft’s structural integrity and the runway surface. Whether the hard landing has caused damage to the runway surface itself, to runway lighting or approach equipment, or to the aircraft in a manner that has left it on the runway, has not been officially stated. Any of these factors could affect the timeline for runway operationalisation.
Pune runway is temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an IAF aircraft. The aircrew are safe and there is no damage to civil property. Efforts are underway to operationalise the runway and resume normal operations at the earliest.@DefenceMinIndia@SpokespersonMoD…
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) April 17, 2026
Impact on Civil Flight Operations
Pune Airport handles significant commercial traffic as one of Maharashtra’s primary airports, serving airlines including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Vistara and others across domestic routes to Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and beyond. A runway closure of any duration during operational hours will result in diversions, delays, and cancellations for commercial flights scheduled to use the airport.
Passengers with flights scheduled to or from Pune on Saturday should check directly with their airline for the latest status on their specific flights before proceeding to the airport. Airlines are expected to issue advisories as the situation develops.
The Shared Runway Context
Pune Airport’s runway is shared between civil aviation operations managed by the Airports Authority of India and military operations conducted by the IAF from the adjacent Lohegaon Air Force Station. This dual-use arrangement means that incidents involving IAF aircraft on or near the runway directly affect civil flight operations — a structural feature of the airport that has periodically created operational complexity when military exercises or incidents require temporary restrictions on runway access.
The IAF has stated that efforts to operationalise the runway are underway. No timeline for restoration of normal operations has been provided in the official statement.
Business Upturn will update this report as further information becomes available from the IAF, Airports Authority of India, or Pune Police.
Disclaimer: This article is based on an IAF official statement and reporting by Moneycontrol. Information is developing and subject to change. Passengers are advised to check directly with their airline for flight status updates.