Major airlines suspend flight operations from Kolkata

Major airlines Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet on Saturday announced that they would suspend operations at Kolkata airport due to the impact of Cyclone Remal on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata.

Air India wrote in a post on X: “Due to cyclonic storm conditions, Kolkata Airport will be closed from 12:00 noon on May 26 to 09:00 am on May 27. Air India flights to/from Kolkata are likely to be affected during this period. Passengers booked on these flights are requested to check our website for further information.”

Budget airline IndiGo wrote in a post on X: “A cyclone warning remains in force in Kolkata. The airport remains closed and all flights to/from Kolkata are cancelled from 12 noon on May 26 to 9 am on May 27.”

Another budget airline, SpiceJet, wrote in a post on X: “Due to the impact of Cyclone REMAL, operations in Kolkata (CCU) are suspended. All flights to/from Kolkata (CCU) have been cancelled from 12:00 hrs on 26 May 2024 to 09:00 hrs on 27 May 2024. Passengers are requested to contact our 24/7 customer care helpline on +91 (0)124 4983410/+91 (0)124 7101600.”

Earlier, in view of the possible impact of Cyclone Remal, the Kolkata airport authorities had decided to suspend flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon, an official said. In view of the impact of Cyclone Remal on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata, a meeting was held with the stakeholders and it was decided to suspend flight operations between 12:00 IST on May 26 and 09:00 IST on May 27 due to the forecast strong winds and heavy to very heavy rains in Kolkata, NSCBI airport director C Pattabhi said in a statement.

The IMD warned of extremely heavy rainfall in coastal districts of West Bengal and heavy to very heavy rainfall in North Odisha on Sunday and Monday due to the weather system.

Extremely heavy rainfall is also expected in Assam and Meghalaya, and the other northeastern states of Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are expected to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.

At the time of landfall, a storm surge of up to 1.5 metres is expected to inundate the low-lying coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The IMD warned fishermen not to venture into the sea north of the Bay of Bengal until Monday morning.

A red alert has been issued for the coastal districts of South and North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur in West Bengal and the adjoining districts of Kolkata, Howrah and Hugli, where extremely heavy rainfall is expected on Sunday and Monday.

*With agency inputs