This story is from July 17, 2019

Cover from showers soon at Pune airport pickup point

The Lohegaon airport authorities will soon install canopies in the new pickup area to shield passengers from the rain
Cover from showers soon at Pune airport pickup point
The rain-soaked pickup point at the Pune airport
PUNE: The Lohegaon airport authorities will soon install canopies in the new pickup area to shield passengers from the rain.
“The sheds will be coming up at Parking No. 2, which has been converted into the new pickup zone for cabs and autorickshaws,” an official close to the development told TOI.
Work in this regard is expected to start in the new few days and be completed by the end of the month.
“Once the canopies are up, passengers will not be affected while waiting for cabs or autorickshaws in the pickup point,” the official added.
For nearly a month, ever since heavy showers began to lash Pune, there has been a flood of complaints from passengers getting soaked in the rain — first during the walk between the terminal and the aircraft, and then on the way from the terminal to the pickup zone.
Many flyers had called for a measure of protection against inclement weather and even appealed to the civil aviation ministry. A few disgruntled flyers even took to the Union civil aviation ministry’s Air Sewa feedback platform.
“The pickup point has dedicated bays for Ola and Uber cabs, as well as autorickshaws and intercity taxis. Each of these bays will be covered by a canopy. There will be sheds at other spots in the pickup zone too,” one source said.

For flyers, the canopies cannot come up soon enough. “It rained heavily last week, and the walk from the arrival gate to the pickup zone was a nightmare,” Adarsh Shastri, a frequent flyer, said. “It is good news that the AAI finally woke up, but this should be done soon, as rain is expected to return any day now,” Shastri added.
Another passenger, who had arrived from Delhi recently, also got a thorough drenching while waiting for a cab. “I had to wait for nearly 30 minutes for a cab. I hope the canopy work is done on time,” the Warje resident said.
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