West Bengal has signed a Centre–state memorandum of understanding to operationalise four airports across the state, while the Union government said it plans to support the development of eight airports within two years. The agreement was signed at Nabanna in the presence of Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari, according to Sangbad Pratidin.
The four airports identified for renewed operations are Chharra in Purulia, Balurghat in South Dinajpur, the Hasimara civil enclave in Alipurduar and Kalaikunda in West Midnapore. The initiative is being taken under the Centre’s Udaan 2.0 programme, with the stated aim of improving air connectivity across West Bengal.
Naidu said the Centre would provide full cooperation to the state for developing multiple airports. The work will include addressing land-related complications, improving airport infrastructure, renovating runways and upgrading terminal buildings. The Centre will also oversee the technical aspects of airport development, while implementation will be carried out through coordination between the Union and state governments.
The agreement gives administrative backing to a plan that had previously been discussed for the four locations. The report said the state government had decided to restart airport operations at the sites after a change in government and had begun reviewing their infrastructure and operational conditions. Adhikari had visited Balurghat airport and held an administrative meeting on its early reopening, while other state ministers reviewed the remaining locations.
The move could extend scheduled air services beyond Kolkata and the state’s existing aviation network, although the report does not provide launch dates, airline commitments, passenger projections or details of the funding arrangement under the MoU. The immediate implementation priorities identified by the Union minister are runway repairs, terminal infrastructure and resolving land-related issues.
At the Nabanna event, Adhikari also requested direct flight links from Kolkata to Europe and the United Kingdom. He sought the inclusion of pilgrimage destinations such as Ayodhya and Tirupati in the state’s air connectivity network and asked for a flying training institute to be established in West Bengal.
The chief minister also alleged that the previous government had not provided land for a second airport in Kolkata. The report did not provide further details about the proposed site, land requirement or the status of any formal project plan for a second Kolkata airport.
The Centre’s announcement of eight airports within two years is broader than the four-airport MoU signed at Nabanna. The next steps will involve resolving land issues, assessing existing facilities, completing runway and terminal works, and determining the operational arrangements for the four identified airports.
