About 17 flights delayed due to rains

Kolkata: As many as 17 flights were delayed for around one hour in Kolkata airport due to the heavy rain on Monday.

Three flights which were scheduled to land in Kolkata on Monday afternoon were diverted to other airports due to bad weather conditions and technical reasons.

According to sources, due to the heavy showers since Sunday night, the hangers were flooded. Even the tarmacs and taxi bays were waterlogged due to the heavy rain.

To clear the water, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport authority had operated several pumps to drain out the water but that did not help as the drainage canals were filled to the brim owing to the heavy rainfall.

On Monday morning NSCBI airport authority alerted the passengers about starting well ahead to reach the airport in time amid the

traffic congestions due to the waterlogged situation.

Airport authority tweeted: "Due to heavy rains in Kolkata, waterlogging and traffic congestion is expected. Passengers travelling through Kolkata Airport are requested to allow more time for their journey to the airport

and check the flight schedule with the concerned Airline."

Sources informed that apart from bad weather conditions, in several instances on Monday, crew members and pilots reached the airport late. Several flights were swapped to manage the delay while passengers of multiple flights had to wait to avail their flights.

C Pattabhi, Director of Kolkata airport said, "In the morning there was an issue about waterlogging as the water was not getting drained out due to accumulated water outside. As the drainage canals were overflowing the accumulated water from outside was entering the airport. However, the problem was solved after a few hours. But there were no issues related to the flight operations. Flights were delayed due to bad weather conditions."