New Delhi: The Pune airport’s runway was temporarily closed following an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Indian Air Force (IAF) said. In a social media post on X, the IAF said, “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.”
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
Murlidhar Mohol informed about the issue
Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol said, “Runway operations at Pune Airport are temporarily suspended due to an incident involving an IAF aircraft. Thankfully, the aircrew are safe and there has been no damage to civil property.”
Runway operations at Pune Airport are temporarily suspended due to an incident involving an IAF aircraft.
Thankfully, the aircrew are safe and there has been no damage to civil property.
Airlines have been informed, and it may take approximately 5 hours to restore normal…
— Murlidhar Mohol (@mohol_murlidhar) April 17, 2026
He added, “Airlines have been informed, and it may take approximately 5 hours to restore normal runway operations. I am in constant touch with the Airport Director and Air Force officials to ensure the situation is resolved at the earliest.” Meanwhile, the Pune Airport said in a post on X, “As per current information, it is expected to take approximately 4–5 hours to clear the runway and resume normal flight operations. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest updates.”
How did the incident happen?
According to reports, operations in the sole commercial runway of the airport was suspended before midnight on Friday after an IAF fighter aircraft suffered an undercarriage failure during landing. It blocked the strip and as a result, authorities were forced to suspend all flight operations. The incident took place at around 22:25 hrs, and left passengers, airlines and airport officials stranded. The airport uses a ‘dual-use model’, integrating civilian commercial operations with an active Air Force station. This system can be seen in many other airports in India India, and its means that military movements share infrastructure with scheduled passenger flights.