Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Kolkata and the Kolkata metropolitan area, the capital metropolis of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the primary aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India. It is located in Dum Dum and in proximity to Jessore Road, approximately from Dalhousie Square and Howrah Junction via the Howrah Bridge. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in 1995 after Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement. The airport's IATA code CCU is associated with "Calcutta", the city's name until 2001. Opened in 1924, the airport is one of the oldest airports in India.
Spread over an area of , the airport is the largest hub for air traffic in the eastern part of the country and one of the four operational airports in the state, the others being Bagdogra Airport in Siliguri, Cooch Behar Airport in Cooch Behar and Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in Durgapur. The airport handled around 22 million passengers in the financial year 2024–25, making it the sixth-busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic, after Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai airports. The airport traditionally served as a strategic stopover on the air route from North America and Europe to Indochina and Australia. Dakota 3 was the first aircraft to land in the airport. The same year, a Royal Air Force aircraft landed in Calcutta as part of the first round-the-world expedition by any air force.
The airport began as an open ground next to the Royal Artillery Armoury in Dum Dum. Sir Stanley Jackson, Governor of Bengal, opened the Bengal Flying Club at Dum Dum/Calcutta aerodrome in February 1929. In 1930, the airfield was made fit for use throughout the year, and other airlines began to utilise the airport. Air Orient began scheduled stops as part of a Paris to Saigon route and Imperial Airways began flights from London to Australia via Calcutta in 1933, thus drew many airlines to Calcutta Airport. Many pioneering flights passed through the airport, including Amelia Earhart's in 1937.
Calcutta played an important role in the Second World War. In 1942, the United States Army Air Forces 7th Bombardment Group flew B-24 Liberator bombers from the airport on combat missions over Burma. The airfield was used as a cargo aerial port for the Air Transport Command and was also used as a communication centre for the Tenth Air Force. Furthermore, in 1964 Indian Airlines introduced the first Indian domestic jet service, using Caravelle jets on the Calcutta–Delhi route. Between the 1940s and 1960s, the airport was served by several major airlines including Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Pan Am, Qantas, Swissair,
Due to the introduction of longer-haul aircraft and the poor political climate of Calcutta during the 1960s and also during the year 1971, several airlines discontinued their service to the airport. The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War saw a large increase of both refugees and disease in Calcutta, causing more airlines to cease services to the city. In 1975, the airport opened the first dedicated cargo terminal in India.
The 1990s saw new growth for Calcutta Airport, as the Indian aviation industry saw the arrival of new airlines such as Jet Airways and Air Sahara. A new domestic terminal named Terminal 2 was opened in 1995 making the international one Terminal 1, and the airport was renamed in honour of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In 2000, a new international arrival hall was opened.
The year 2005 saw the growth of low-cost carriers in the Indian aviation sector, with new airlines including SpiceJet, IndiGo, and Kingfisher Airlines. This led to a dramatic rise in passenger numbers at the airport. Overcrowding in both terminals led to the implementation of a comprehensive modernisation plan for the airport.
Modernisation (2008–present)
The modernisation plan for the Kolkata Airport received the final nod on 14 August 2008. The project, worth , included the construction of a new terminal building with a passengers handling capacity of 20 million passengers per annum (mppa), expansion of secondary runway, upgradation of the navigation facilities, addition of taxiways and parking bays and . The then existing domestic and international terminals had a capacity of 4.06 mppa and 0.88 mppa, respectively, and were already saturated having handled 6.45 million and 1.01 million passengers in 2007–08. During 2003–08, the airport saw a 21.4% growth in domestic traffic and 6.4% growth in international traffic with further traffic growth of 19% per annum expected till 2011–12. A series of approvals were granted between April 2007 and May 2008 from multiple authorities for the project.
Meanwhile, the secondary runway was to be extended to at a cost of along with the construction of 11 parking bays and a taxiway at and the upgradation of infrastructure including Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) equipment at . A fund of was also allocated to construct a grade separator and connecting the airport with the roadway and railway network of the city. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) would provide 80% of the project fund (₹1554 crore) while the rest would be sought through commercial borrowings. The AAI had already spent ₹32 crore for consultancy and other preparatory work for the project in the fiscal year.
In February 2014, the Kolkata Airport had sent a proposal to upgrade its Instrument Landing System (ILS) facilities in the runway to the higher authorities. The approval and project sanction, worth , was received in August that year. The project was expected to be executed between February–March and December 2015. As part of the upgradation, the primary runway's southern stretch (01R), then equipped with a CAT II ILS, would be upgraded to CAT III-B. This would reduce the chances of ceasing flight operations during foggy winter and harsh weather conditions when there is a drop in visibility. Flight operations were affected 12 times or 50 <nowiki/>hours, which delayed over 500 flights, during the winter of 2013–14. The CAT III-B lights, which will be guiding the aircraft on the taxiway till the parking bays, will be installed at 24 of the 54 bays. Further, the pock-marked primary runway would be re-carpeted while the secondary runway would also be upgraded to CAT II. The CAT III-B operations in the airport only began on 4 January 2018. Meanwhile, 19L was already equipped with CAT II.
thumb|200x200px|left|[[Scandinavian Airlines is one of the many European airlines that used to operate to Kolkata. This is their inaugural flight to Kolkata.|alt=]]
The modernisation plan included some improvements of the airport's existing terminals, including the addition of extra ticketing counters, check-in kiosks, and cafes to the domestic terminal in 2009. However, the need to replace the airport's terminals entirely led to plans for a new integrated terminal, known as T2 to differentiate it from the older domestic block, to serve both international and domestic destinations. A Thai-based company, the Italian-Thai Development (ITD) Corporation (ITD-ITDCem JV, a consortium of ITD and ITD Cementation) and the 125-year-old iconic Project Management Consultant–Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) was hired with Delhi-based designer Sikka Associates Architects to construct the building. Construction commenced in November 2008, and T2 was inaugurated on 20 January 2013 after overshooting the previous deadlines of July 2011 and August 2012. The former airport hotel 'Ashok' was demolished to give way for two new five-star luxury hotels and a shopping mall in its place.
Commercial operations were intended to start on 23 January 2013, the 116th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. However, the shift to the new terminal was only completed on 16 March 2013. Airports Council International named it the best improved airport in the Asia-Pacific region in 2014 and 2015.
On 27 November 2025, the CAT III-B ILS for the 19L approach of the primary runway was activated for the first time. This was an upgrade from the CAT II ILS for the side, though the 01R approach was already equipped with CAT III-B earlier.
Infrastructure
Runways
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport has two parallel runways, the primary runway 01R/19L has a capacity of approximately 35 flights per hour and the secondary runway 01L/19R has a capacity of 15 flights per hour. The secondary runway is usually used as a taxiway when the main runway is used. When the primary runway is shut down for maintenance purposes, the secondary runway is used. The secondary runway was expected to undergo a recarpeting under a project in 2025. By September 2025, the improvements have enhanced the operating capacity of the airport from 35 to 45 flights per hour.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Runways at NSCBI Airport
!Runway number
!Length
!Width
!Approach lights/ILS
|-
|01L/19R
|
|
|No ILS / CAT I
Terminals
thumb|Bird's eye view of the integrated terminal
The airport's new integrated terminal T2 is spread over and can handle 25 million passengers annually, compared to the previous terminal T1's capacity of five million. The terminal is an L-shaped structure, containing six levels. It contains 128 check-in counters that utilise CUTE (Common User Terminal Equipment) technology and has 78 immigration counters and twelve customs counters. The terminal was developed in a project worth . Passenger lounges are provided by Air India. The terminal is equipped with 18 aerobridges and a further 57 remote parking bays. There are plans to construct an 18-foot bronze statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the integrated terminal complex.
Kolkata's old international and domestic terminals closed permanently when the integrated terminal opened. However, there were plans to renovate the old international terminal to be used for future hajj services, while the domestic terminal could be used by regional airlines. An earlier proposal of continuing low-cost carrier operations from the existing domestic terminal has been shelved due to the need to fully utilise the new integrated terminal's capacity, making it the first airport in India to shift even its low-cost domestic airlines to the new integrated building upon completion. However, the old terminal will be replaced by a new terminal T3 to increase the overall capacity.
In the financial year from April 2011 to March 2012, Kolkata Airport served 10.3 million passengers, 85% of whom travelled domestically. The withdrawal of Lufthansa's service to Frankfurt in March 2012 left Kolkata with no direct connections beyond Asia. However, other international operations increased in 2012.
In September 2012, the Airports Authority of India upgraded the airport's cargo-handling capacity, enabling it to cater for the demand until 2015–16. There has been a 25 per cent growth in international cargo movement to and from Kolkata Airport and a 15 per cent increase in outward transit. Automobile parts accounted for the bulk of the growth in the movement of cargo from the city to other countries. In November 2008 the first Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) in West Bengal was opened at the airport. The CPC has an area of and an annual storage capacity of 12,000 million tonnes. The CPC had been undergoing trials that started in June 2008 and were built with a grant-in-aid from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) part of the Commerce Ministry. The volume of export was 21,683 tonnes in 2008–09, during the current fiscal more than 23,042 tonnes of cargo were handled by the airport. Similarly, the volume of import cargo increased from 16,863 tonnes to 18,733 tonnes, increasing over ten per cent during the same period. However, in 2008–09 the total volume of cargo handled by the airport declined by 4.8% from the previous year.
On 3 June 2019, Singapore Airlines operated the Airport's maiden Airbus A350 service from Singapore to Kolkata, enhancing the weekly seat capacity.
Air Traffic Navigation Complex
thumb|The new 56 m-tall ATC complex of NSCBIA under construction.
The Kolkata Airport is currently served by a legacy building commissioned in 1972. The complex includes area control and technical blocks. The spiral torch-shaped tower has a height of and is equipped with advanced digital technology for communication and air traffic systems. The technical block will host flight data and radar data processing systems, data control processing system, and new monitoring systems. The area of the facility will increase from to , while the same for the visual control room will be upgraded from to . was shelved in 2011 due to lack of funds. In January 2013, however, the top brass of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) granted the in-principle approval for the project, worth . The execution would begin after the transition to new terminal was completed in July. While the surface movement control and tower units would be based in a glass chamber in the apex, the remaining units, including aerodrome control, approach control and area control would be hosted at a three-storied building at the base. The project details would then be sent to higher authorities for the budget to be sanctioned. Another 18 months was expected to float a tender and select bids for flight data processing system, radar data processing system, data control processing system and new monitors. An additional six months would be required for the systems installations and testing. Full operationalisation was expected by 2016.
In May 2013, the project received a funding of , which includes for the building and to upgrade air navigation and surveillance systems. As represented in the cover of AAI's Airports India magazine dated February 2016, the new ATC tower's height was revised to . However, the height was again halved to a year later in February 2017 when AAI released the tender for the construction of the facility, akin with the ATC tower in Edinburgh Airport. The ATC Guild (India), a union of the air traffic controllers of India, was unhappy with such revision and defended the earlier plan, stating that the height would not have caused safety hazard but a shorter tower would be obsolete much earlier.
The operational trials of the new complex commenced on 24 March 2025. The tower, with a workforce of eight controllers along with technicians from Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) department, coordinated the take off and landing of around 40 aircraft between 2 pm and 4 pm. The first aircraft to land under the new ATC's supervision was an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru. Another team of controllers also stood by in the existing ATC tower to takeover responsibilities in case of any contingencies in the new facility. Such operations will continue to be undertaken from the new tower over the same time daily for three months before the duration can be increased. However, full-fledged operations will not begin within the next 18–24 months since the modern equipment is yet to be selected and procured. The equipment include a new generation automation system, approach radar, advanced surface movement guidance and control system as well as abVHF communication equipment. Only after the tenders are floated will the equipment be procured, installed and operationalised. Until then, controllers in the new ATC tower will utilise modified equipment that was procured and installed in 2012 and 2013.
On 7 October, a short circuit in the AC system of the new complex, detected by five controllers reporting for duty, revealed the lack of an emergency exit. This shut the operations from the facility until 20 October after which operations restarted. However, full operational clearance could only be received from the DGCA, BCAS and the fire department after the emergency exit is arranged. The first nod for a third terminal was received from the aviation ministry by then. The old air traffic control complex and both of the old terminals, located in the North of the T2, would be demolished to establish the third terminal.
The plan was reportedly sanctioned in February 2020 and first phase expansion was expected to be completed within 30 months.
Initially, the existing terminal will undergo an interim expansion of that will see the terminal handle an additional 2 million passengers annually, bringing the total handling capacity of the existing terminal to 28 million passengers annually.
Phase 2
By the time the first phase construction of the new terminal will be completed, the new Air Traffic Navigation Complex will be fully operational and the old tower building and former international terminal will be demolished.
However, as of 2025, the airport operates 73 parking bays. However, two additional bays will be made operational by the year-end and will be followed by activation of 10 bays and 19 bays in 2030 and 2032, respectively. In 2033, an additional 28 bays will be commissioned and will bring to the total number of parking bays to 132. This will ensure the parallel increase of terminal and airside infrastructure.
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| Air India | Delhi, Mumbai–Shivaji Bengaluru, Guwahati, Bengaluru, Mumbai–Shivaji, Pune, Bilaspur, Guwahati, Paro
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| Buddha Air | Kathmandu
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| China Eastern Airlines | Kunming
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| Drukair | Gelephu Paro
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| Emirates | Dubai–International
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| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi
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| flyadeal | Seasonal Charter: Medina
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| flydubai | Dubai–International Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Dhaka, Dibrugarh, Ho Chi Minh City, Jaipur, Shillong, Silchar,
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| | Yangon
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| | Doha
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| | Singapore
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| SpiceJet | Ahmedabad, Bengaluru,
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| Thai AirAsia | Bangkok–Don Mueang
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| Thai Airways International | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
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| Thai Lion Air | Bangkok–Don Mueang
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| Thai VietJet Air | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
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| | Dhaka
Cargo
Statistics
As of the financial year 2024–25, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is the sixth-busiest airport in India in terms of the total number of passengers served and with respect to the number of flights departing and arriving at the airport, which was about 21.8 million passengers in the FY and 408 flights a day respectively. This was a 10.3% increase from the previous year. Out of which, 19.4 million passengers were domestic travellers and 2.4 million were international travellers. The cargo traffic saw an increase of 9.2% from its previous year, with 165,617.9 metric tonnes of cargo, the best CCU has ever handled so far.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Passenger and cargo traffic (2009–2026)
! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:middle;" |Year
! colspan="3" style="vertical-align:middle;" |Passengers
! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:middle;" |Change
! rowspan="2" |Cargo ()
! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:middle;" |Change
! rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:middle;" |Ref
|-
!International
!Domestic
!Total
|-
|2009–10
|11,87,160
|68,58,564
|80,45,724
|
|1,10,256
|
|
|-
|2010–11
|14,28,086
|82,03,586
|96,31,672
| style="text-align:left;"| 19.7%
|1,29,957
| style="text-align:left;"| 17.9%
|
|-
|2012–13
|16,44,339
|84,24,316
|1,00,68,655
| style="text-align:left;"| 2.3%
|1,23,491
| style="text-align:left;"| 1.7%
|
|-
|2013–14
|17,65,013
|83,35,219
|1,01,00,232
| style="text-align:left;"| 0.7%
|1,29,782
| style="text-align:left;"| 6.2%
|
|-
|2014–15
|19,26,562
|89,90,107
|1,09,16,669
| style="text-align:left;"| 8.1%
|1,36,699
| style="text-align:left;"| 5.3%
|
|-
|2015–16
|22,17,473
|1,02,03,771
|1,24,21,244
| style="text-align:left;"| 13.8%
|1,39,679
| style="text-align:left;"| 2.2%
|
|-
|2016–17
|22,30,071
|1,35,89,468
|1,58,19,539
| style="text-align:left;"| 24.0%
|1,52, 415
| style="text-align:left;"| 9.0%
|
|-
|2017–18
|25,86,775
|1,73,05,749
|1,98,92,524
| style="text-align:left;"| 25.7%
|1,63,323
| style="text-align:left;"| 7.2%
|
|-
|2018–19
|27,86,805
|1,90,90,545
|2,18,77,350
| style="text-align:left;"| 10.0%
|1,55,232
| style="text-align:left;"| 5.0%
|
|-
|2019–20
|29,39,322
|1,90,76,069
|2,20,15,391
| style="text-align:left;"| 0.6%
|1,53,468
| style="text-align:left;"| 1.1%
|
|-
|2020–21
|1,43,081
|75,85,825
|77,28,906
| style="text-align:left;"| 64.9%
|1,04,953
| style="text-align:left;"| 31.6%
|
|-
|2021–22
|3,42,665
|1,06,93,443
|1,10,36,108
| style="text-align:left;"| 42.8%
|1,38,127
| style="text-align:left;"| 31.6%
|
|-
|2023–24
|24,68,601
|1,73,15,816
|1,97,84,417
| style="text-align:left;"| 11.4%
|1,51,626
| style="text-align:left;"| 11.5%
|
|-
|2024–25
|24,19,466
|1,94,11,652
|2,18,31,118
| style="text-align:left;"| 10.3%
|1,65,617.9
| style="text-align:left;"| 9.2%
|
|-
|2025–26
|22,98,213
|1,88,04,528
|2,11,02,741
| style="text-align:left;"| 3.3%
|1,68,244.8
| style="text-align:left;"| 1.6%
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Busiest domestic routes from CCU (2024–25)
!Rank
!Airport
!Carriers
!Departing passengers
|-
|1
|Delhi
|Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air
|1,422,349
|-
|2
|Bengaluru
|Air India Express, Akasa Air, IndiGo
|1,180,899
|-
|3
|Mumbai
|Air India, Akasa Air, IndiGo ,SpiceJet
|1,071,297
|-
|4
|Hyderabad
|Air India Express, IndiGo
|604,223
|-
|5
|Guwahati
|IndiGo, SpiceJet, Alliance Air (India), Air India Express
|552,468
|-
|6
|Chennai
|Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo
|535,483
|-
|7
|Agartala
|IndiGo, Air India Express
|377,454
|-
|8
|Bagdogra
|SpiceJet, Air India Express, IndiGo
|318,782
|-
|9
|Bhubaneswar
|Alliance Air (India), IndiGo, Air India Express
|286,814
|-
|10
|Port Blair
|SpiceJet, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air
|274,011
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Busiest International routes from CCU (2023–24)
!Rank
!Airport
!Carriers
!Departing passengers
|-
|1
|Dhaka
|Air India, Biman Bangladesh, Indigo, NovoAir, US-Bangla Airlines
|2,60,277
|-
|3
|Bangkok (BKK, DMK)
|Bhutan Airlines, Indigo, Spicejet,Thai Airways, Thai Smile Airways, Thai Air Asia
|2,01,982
|-
|2
|Dubai
|Emirates, Flydubai
|1,92,424
|-
|4
|Singapore
|IndiGo, Singapore Airlines
|1,04,026
|-
|5
|Doha
|Qatar Airways
|75,364
|-
|6
|Kuala Lumpur
|AirAsia, Batik Air Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines
|61,930
|-
|7
|Ho Chi Minh City
|IndiGo
|22,580
|-
|8
|Kathmandu
|Air India
|20,930
|-
|9
|Hanoi
|IndiGo
|18,158
|-
|10
|Phuket
|IndiGo, Thai AirAsia
|15,405
|}
Ground transport
Roads
thumb|right|The [[West Bengal Transport Corporation operates air-conditioned buses from the Airport Bus Terminus]]
The airport has a well-established facility of prepaid taxis and air-conditioned buses connecting it to the city centre. Ride-hailing services, including Uber and Ola operate here regularly. As part of the larger modernisation programme, a flyover at Nagerbazar and an entry ramp on VIP Road have also been constructed. A flyover from Kestopur to Raghunathpur (near Tegharia) was built to speed up airport-bound traffic. These reduced journey times to the airport. Parking facilities at the new terminal include two underground parking levels accommodating 3000 cars, as well as an outdoor car parking that can handle an additional 2000 cars.
thumb|WBTC Airport Bus Terminus
West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) operates air-conditioned buses to major parts of Kolkata from 07:00 to 23:00 Hrs throughout the week.
Bus routes
- AC 39 (Airport Terminal - Howrah Stn.)
- VS 2 (Airport Terminal - Howrah Stn.)
- V1 (Airport Terminal - Tollygunge)
- VS 1 (Airport Terminal - Esplanade)
- AC 37C (Airport Terminal - Garia)
- AC 37A (Airport Terminal - Garia)
- AC 43 (Airport Terminal - Golf Green)
Metro
thumb|Jai Hind (Airport) Metro Station
The airport is connected at Jai Hind metro station, which opened on 22 August 2025 with one Kolkata Metro line from Noapara (Yellow Line). It is the largest underground metro station in India and the station will eventually also serve another line from New Garia (Orange Line). Both lines will converge at Jai Hind, with Orange line terminating at this station and Yellow Line moving towards Barasat metro station.
Rail
left|thumb|Biman Bandar railway station remants
The airport was connected to the Kolkata Suburban Railway system's circular line branch. The long elevated track connected the airport Biman Bandar railway station with Dum Dum Cantonment railway station, passing Jessore Road. Electric multiple unit rolling stocks served the line. Due to poor patronage and plans to replace it with yellow Line metro service, the railway line was closed in September 2016 to facilitate construction of the new lines. The remaining infrastructure was dismantled in early 2020 to make space for road upgrades. As of 2024, the iconic station building still exists as Kolkata metro Railways headquarters.
Presently, the nearest railway stations are Dum Dum Cantonment railway station and Durganagar railway station.
Awards
In 2014 and 2015, the airport won the title of Best Improved Airport in the Asia-Pacific region awarded by the Airport Council International. The airport was awarded the Best Airport by Hygiene Measures in the Asia-Pacific in 2020 by Airports Council International.
Accidents and incidents
- On 2 May 1953, BOAC Flight 783 de Havilland Comet bound for Delhi crashed after takeoff from Calcutta Airport with the loss of 43 lives. Parts of the aircraft were found spread over an area of 8 km<sup>2</sup>, near Jugalgari, a village some 25 miles north-west of Calcutta, suggesting disintegration before impact with the ground.
- On 12 June 1968, a Pan-Am Flight (N798PA, named Clipper Caribbean) Boeing 707-321C struck a tree 1128 m short of the runway during a night-time visual approach in rain. The aircraft subsequently crashed and caught fire. The fuselage remained largely intact, although the aircraft's landing gear broke off. Out of the 10 crew and 53 passengers aboard, one crew member and five passengers suffered fatal injuries due to the fire.
See also
- Behala Airport
- Airports in India
- List of airports in West Bengal
- List of busiest airports in India by passenger traffic
Notes
References
External links
- Accident history for CCU at Aviation Safety Network