Airside expansion at Kolkata airport delayed by 17 months

The work of the airside capacity enhancement of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata has been stalled for almost one and a half years because of delays in shifting an Indian Oil Corporation Limited's (IOCLs) pipeline and land acquisition.

The NSCBI Airport at Dum Dum serves the Kolkata metropolitan area. It is a hub for flights to North-East India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and South-East Asia. It was convicted Best Improved Airport in the Asia-Pacific region by the Airports Council International (ACI).

Officials told the media that in 2018, the airside capacity enhancement of the NSCBI Airport was cleared at Rs 389.71 crore. While there have not been any cost overruns, the project has been delayed by 17 months.

Officials said that there was a slowdown in work because of the non-shifting of an IOCL pipeline and land acquisition in the Mazaar Land area. Another delay was government clearance for taking over the Gouripur Bus Stand land. The airside capacity enhancement had been scheduled to be complete by November 2021 but now stretched till April 2023.

Kolkata Airport Director C Pattabhi said that it would soon embark on a project to expand the domestic and international wings of the integrated terminal to add over 4,000 sq m or around 45,000 sq ft. It will expand the annual capacity of the integrated terminal from 26 million to 28 million.

Currently, the terminal covers about 25 lakh sq ft. It requires expansion at the arrival and departure levels.

He said that the airport would not have a departure gate or aerobridge to the international wing. The additional space will help make the international wing more spacious for a surge in flights and passengers.

Presently, the airport has 18 aerobridges at the integrated terminal. In 2019-20, the passenger traffic at NSCBI Airport was 22 million but declined to 12 million in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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