Suspended for 36 hrs, Kolkata airport springs back to life

Kolkata: The Kolkata Airport sprang back to life from 12 noon on Thursday after flight operations remained suspended for nearly 36 hours due to the super cyclone Amphan.

Though there was water logging at the Kaikhali side where Air India's maintenance hanger is situated, there was no obstruction on runways and the crucial area of flight operation. Consequently, it become possible to resume service within a few hours after the cyclone hit the city and its outskirts.

However, several trees got uprooted, some portions of boundary walls fell and damages were spotted on steel-sheet, each 135-metre-long, roof of the terminal building of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The damage has been caused though the same was bolstered with additional clamps. "But all these will not be any hurdle on way to ensure smooth flight service and green signal has been given to start flight operation from 12 noon on Thursday after necessary maintenance work in the main functional area was done. The first flight to land in Kolkata Airport was of Royal Aviation from Russia. It will take back 100 of their nationals who were stuck in Kolkata due to the lockdown," said airport director Kaushik Bhattacharya.

Repairing work of the terminal building's terrace is also going on, Bhattacharya added.

The water logging is actually at the Koikhali side where an operational Air India maintenance hanger and some abandoned hangers are situated. Two pumps have been set up to throw the water out of the premises. But it is flowing back as the area outside airport at Kaikhali is heavily inundated. It in no way will affect the flight operations, though there is no regular flights till March 25, the schedule of which the Kolkata Airport authorities yet to receive.

Meanwhile, runways are clean as always to ensure smooth landing of aircrafts and all 50 parking bays at the airport remained unaffected. But, two unused abandoned hangers have collapsed.