West Bengal is set to get four additional operational airports within two years, taking the state’s total from three to eight, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said after agreements were signed with the state government at Nabanna. The plan covers civil enclaves at Hashimara and Kalaikunda, the revival of Balurghat airport and a new airstrip at Charra in Purulia.
Naidu said the Centre plans to invest Rs 29,000 crore to improve air connectivity in West Bengal over the next decade. The announcement followed the signing of two MoUs between the Union civil aviation ministry and the state government for developing the four facilities and implementing the Centre’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme.
West Bengal currently has four airports, according to the minister, but only Kolkata, Bagdogra and Andal are operational. The fourth, Cooch Behar airport, is to be revived. The proposed facilities are intended to expand access to several districts and support tourism, agriculture and regional economic activity.
Hashimara, in Alipurduar, and Kalaikunda, in West Midnapore, will be developed by converting existing Air Force bases into civil enclaves. The airports have 2,700-metre runways, allowing them to handle narrow-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. Hashimara is expected to serve Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, while Kalaikunda could improve access to Kharagpur and nearby cities.
At Balurghat in South Dinajpur, flight operations will begin after existing infrastructure on Airports Authority of India land is expanded. Work on the proposed airport at Charra in Purulia will also commence, although the announcement did not specify the planned construction timeline, terminal capacity or proposed flight schedule for the facility.
The state government has linked the project to longstanding land and project-clearance issues. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the Army had earlier agreed to civilian operations at Hashimara and Kalaikunda, but that the land required for the facilities had not been provided. He said 25 acres was needed at Hashimara and 37 acres at Kalaikunda, adding that the state had now completed the required process.
Adhikari also said West Bengal was prepared to provide 2,000 acres at Kalyani for a second greenfield airport serving Kolkata. Naidu said the Centre wanted Kolkata to have a second airport to meet rising demand for air travel. The state government also requested stronger operations at Andal, the revival of Malda airport and direct flights from Kolkata to Ayodhya, Tirupati, Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Rajasthan, the United Kingdom and major European destinations.
Regular direct connectivity between Bengal and Europe was discontinued more than a decade ago, while a weekly Air India service to London operated during the pandemic before being discontinued in March 2022. The next stages will involve developing the four proposed facilities, expanding Balurghat’s infrastructure and implementing routes under UDAN.
