Flight operations at Kolkata Airport resume after 21-hour suspension

In view of the possible impact of Cyclone Remal, the authorities at Kolkata airport had decided to suspend flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon.

New Delhi: Flight operations at Kolkata airport resumed on Tuesday after a 21-hour suspension due to Cyclone Remal. According to the officials, the first flight to depart was IndiGo’s Kolkata-Port Blair flight at 8:59 am. The first flight to land was SpiceJet’s flight from Guwahati, which arrived at 9:50 am. Check-in was open for some other flights, the official said. The last flight to depart from Kolkata airport on Sunday was at 12:16 pm.

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Although flight operations have begun to resume, it will still take some time before the situation returns to normal, the airport said.

The cyclone, which made landfall around midnight on Sunday, brought heavy rains in southern part of West Bengal, including Kolkata. Kolkata airport authorities have decided to suspend flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon due to the possible impact of Cyclone Remal.

The precautionary measure was taken after a meeting of the stakeholders of the NSCBI airport here on Saturday, the official said.

The city of Kolkata experienced heavy rains and gusty winds after severe cyclone Remal made landfall between the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh on Sunday evening. Images from outside the Raj Bhavan showed the city being ravaged by the storm.

According to IMD, Cyclone Remal was moving almost northward and crossed the coast of Bangladesh and West Bengal between Sagar Island and Khepupara, southwest of Mongla (Bangladesh). Somnath Dutta, head of the Eastern Region of IMD Kolkata, confirmed that the landfall process began at 8:30 pm and is expected to be completed by 12:30 am.