Bengal to have 4 more airports in 2 years: Civil aviation minister
Kolkata: In two years, Bengal will have eight operational airports instead of three at present, civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said at Nabanna on Monday.
“Bengal currently has only four airports, of which three — Kolkata, Bagdogra and Andal — are operational. The fourth airport, in Cooch Behar, needs to be revived. We plan to develop four more airports in two years. These include conversion of Air Force bases at Hashimara in Alipurduar and Kalaikunda in West Midnapore into civil enclaves. The Balurghat airport in South Dinajpur will be revived and an airstrip will be developed in Purulia’s Charra. These airports will open up new possibilities for tourism, agriculture and regional connectivity,” said Naidu.
The minister was speaking to reporters after two MoUs were signed between the civil aviation ministry and the state govt for the development of four new airports and implementation of UDAN, the regional airport development and connectivity scheme of the central govt. The Centre plans to spend Rs 29,000 crore on improving air connectivity in the state over the next decade, Naidu said.
He also promised to help the state start direct flights from Kolkata to the UK and major European destinations following a request from CM Suvendu Adhikari . While direct regular connectivity to Europe from Bengal was severed more than a decade ago, a weekly flight to London was revived by Air India during the pandemic. It was discontinued in March 2022.
The civil aviation sector is upbeat about Hashimara and Kalaikunda being developed as civil enclaves on the lines of Bagdogra. With 2,700-metre runways, they can support narrow-bodied aircraft like Airbus A 320 and Boeing B 737. While Hashimara can offer connectivity to Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, Kalaikunda can serve Kharagpur and adjoining cities.
In Balurghat, flight operations will start following expansion of the existing infrastructure on an Airports Authority of India land. Work on developing a new airport at Charra in Purulia will commence.
Adhikari blamed the previous govt for delays in developing the two proposed civil enclaves. He said Army had given its consent for civilian operations at Hasimara and Kalaikunda much earlier, but the erstwhile Trinamool dispensation failed to provide the required land. “Some 25 acres was needed for Hasimara and 37 acres for Kalaikunda. But the former state govt did not provide the land. We have done the needful,” said Adhikari.
He also said the Centre’s request for land for a second airport in Kolkata was turned down by then CM Mamata Banerjee. “Not just the airport, several important national highways and railway projects had remained stuck for years because of the failure to provide land. We have cleared the projects. The state is ready to provide 2,000 acres in Kalyani for a greenfield airport,” said Adhikari.
Naidu said the Centre wanted Kolkata to have a second airport to meet the growing demand for air travel.
Adhikari also requested the civil aviation minister to further strengthen the Andal airport in Purulia and start flights from Kolkata to major pilgrimage centres such as Ayodhya, Tirupati and Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Rajasthan. He also urged Naidu to revive the Malda airport in the next phase.
“Bengal currently has only four airports, of which three — Kolkata, Bagdogra and Andal — are operational. The fourth airport, in Cooch Behar, needs to be revived. We plan to develop four more airports in two years. These include conversion of Air Force bases at Hashimara in Alipurduar and Kalaikunda in West Midnapore into civil enclaves. The Balurghat airport in South Dinajpur will be revived and an airstrip will be developed in Purulia’s Charra. These airports will open up new possibilities for tourism, agriculture and regional connectivity,” said Naidu.
The minister was speaking to reporters after two MoUs were signed between the civil aviation ministry and the state govt for the development of four new airports and implementation of UDAN, the regional airport development and connectivity scheme of the central govt. The Centre plans to spend Rs 29,000 crore on improving air connectivity in the state over the next decade, Naidu said.
He also promised to help the state start direct flights from Kolkata to the UK and major European destinations following a request from CM Suvendu Adhikari . While direct regular connectivity to Europe from Bengal was severed more than a decade ago, a weekly flight to London was revived by Air India during the pandemic. It was discontinued in March 2022.
The civil aviation sector is upbeat about Hashimara and Kalaikunda being developed as civil enclaves on the lines of Bagdogra. With 2,700-metre runways, they can support narrow-bodied aircraft like Airbus A 320 and Boeing B 737. While Hashimara can offer connectivity to Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, Kalaikunda can serve Kharagpur and adjoining cities.
In Balurghat, flight operations will start following expansion of the existing infrastructure on an Airports Authority of India land. Work on developing a new airport at Charra in Purulia will commence.
Adhikari blamed the previous govt for delays in developing the two proposed civil enclaves. He said Army had given its consent for civilian operations at Hasimara and Kalaikunda much earlier, but the erstwhile Trinamool dispensation failed to provide the required land. “Some 25 acres was needed for Hasimara and 37 acres for Kalaikunda. But the former state govt did not provide the land. We have done the needful,” said Adhikari.
He also said the Centre’s request for land for a second airport in Kolkata was turned down by then CM Mamata Banerjee. “Not just the airport, several important national highways and railway projects had remained stuck for years because of the failure to provide land. We have cleared the projects. The state is ready to provide 2,000 acres in Kalyani for a greenfield airport,” said Adhikari.
Naidu said the Centre wanted Kolkata to have a second airport to meet the growing demand for air travel.
Adhikari also requested the civil aviation minister to further strengthen the Andal airport in Purulia and start flights from Kolkata to major pilgrimage centres such as Ayodhya, Tirupati and Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Rajasthan. He also urged Naidu to revive the Malda airport in the next phase.
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