The Indian Air Force confirmed the incident, stating that while all aircrew members are safe, the runway had become temporarily unavailable.

Airport management estimated it would take approximately four to five hours to clear the runway and resume normal operations.

Flight operations at the airport began returning to normal from Saturday morning.

Departures resumed from 7.30 am, followed by arrivals from 8 am, with authorities indicating that air traffic would stabilise progressively through the day after emergency repair work was completed on priority.

The closure sparked significant disruption for incoming flights, with at least eight planes diverted to alternative airports including Surat, Goa, Mumbai, Chennai and Coimbatore, according to flight tracking data from Flightradar24.

Preliminary assessments indicate the aircraft may have experienced a hard landing or technical issue during touchdown, which led to the runway being blocked.

The Air Force assured there was no damage to civilian property, while standard safety protocols were initiated to ensure no risk to personnel or infrastructure. P

assengers faced considerable delays and inconvenience as airlines adjusted schedules in real time.

Pune Airport operates as a dual-use facility, handling both civilian flights and Air Force operations, making it one of Maharashtra's key aviation hubs.

Airport authorities coordinated closely with the IAF to restore runway operations, with airlines informed immediately to manage the disruption.

The airport was scheduled for runway recarpeting work later this year as part of routine maintenance, though exact dates had not been finalised.

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