PUNE: The plateau in the number of international flights operating from the Lohegaon airport for years has spoilt the joy of authorities over the frequent increase in domestic operations.Just four international flights have been operating from the facility for a few years, casting shadow on the future of overseas connections. Two planes connect Dubai ( Air India and SpiceJet ), one flies to Abu Dhabi (Jet Airways) and another to Frankfurt (Lufthansa).An official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in Pune told TOI, "The number of domestic flights movements from the airport has increased to 164 now. We have been encouraging airlines to start international operations in addition to domestic service. But they are not showing much interest. In diGo was expected to start a flight to a foreign destination but things have not materialized so far."The authorities opened two duty free shops at the airport to woo airlines to start international flights. But the effort is yet to yield any result.A senior official of an airline currently operating an international flight from Pune cited the city's proximity to Mumbai and the Lohegaon airport being an establishment of the Air Force as the reasons behind few international flights."There are many restrictions at times at the Lohegaon facility since it is a defence airport, delaying flights. Also, Pune is very close to Mumbai having many international flights to different destinations and lower fares at times," the official said.The load factor is another issue. Down south, there are many flights to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Pune cannot be connected to Southeast Asian countries, Colombo and Dhaka due to less passenger load. "For airlines, the passenger load factor translating into profit is crucial," the official added.Aviation expert and analyst Dhairyashil Vandekar blamed AAI for the airport's poor international connectivity ."AAI has not been able to market Pune airport. To make up for the airport's space and infrastructure constraints, AAI could have offered the Indian carriers rebate in airport charges and other facilities. It should have long been discussed and recommended by the Pune Airport Advisory Committee in public interest," Vandekar told TOI.He added that constraints of being a defence airfield, restricted ATC watch hours, lack of competitive world class airport infrastructure as required for international operations are also the problem areas.

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