CM Mamata Banerjee's Chartered Flight Faces Extended Hovering Over Kolkata Amid Severe Weather
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's chartered aircraft was compelled to circle above Kolkata for more than seventy minutes before executing a secure landing, as a violent squall accompanied by a hailstorm rendered flight operations exceedingly hazardous. The meteorological disturbance, which originated from Jharkhand, led to the suspension of airport activities and impacted multiple flights, with sixteen experiencing delays and one being diverted to an alternate location.
Sudden Onset of Thunderstorm and Hailstorm Disrupts Airport Operations
The French-manufactured long-range business jet, a Dassault Falcon 2000, transporting the Chief Minister, departed from Andal airport near Durgapur at 3:39 PM following her participation in two election rallies in West Burdwan. The brief journey was anticipated to conclude with an arrival in Kolkata at 4:07 PM. However, as the aircraft approached the metropolitan area, the atmosphere over North 24 Parganas, encompassing the airport vicinity, rapidly darkened. The onboard weather radar detected a swiftly intensifying localized thunderstorm, prompting the airport meteorological office to issue an official warning at 3:55 PM.
G K Das, the head of the airport meteorological office, characterized the event as a sudden and intense local disturbance that developed from Jharkhand, noting that while similar occurrences have happened previously, this instance was particularly severe. As wind velocities increased and precipitation intensified, accompanied by hail, the situation grew increasingly ominous. Flight operations were officially suspended shortly after an IndiGo flight from Bhubaneswar managed to land at 4:22 PM. By 4:45 PM, a powerful squall measuring 57 kilometers per hour struck the airport, reducing visibility to a mere 800 meters.
Extended Hovering and Strategic Runway Change Ensure Safe Landing
During the tempest, which battered the airport and adjacent regions including Rajarhat, Salt Lake, Birati, and Madhyamgram, the Chief Minister's flight remained airborne, circling patiently while awaiting improved conditions. Officials from Nabanna maintained continuous communication with airport authorities to monitor developments, and Air Traffic Control personnel were in constant contact with the pilot of the CM's aircraft, coordinating for an opportune moment to guide the plane to the ground.
The weather began to ameliorate abruptly at 5:00 PM, mirroring the suddenness of the storm's onset. Nevertheless, the touchdown of the CM's flight encountered an additional delay when the pilot of a Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight reported a strong tailwind during takeoff. This aircraft had departed from the Rajarhat end at 5:02 PM, immediately following the lifting of the flight suspension, but the pilot's alert to the ATC prompted immediate action.
Alarmed by the unexpected shift in wind direction, Air Traffic Control placed the CM's flight on hold and swiftly altered the designated landing runway from 19L to 01R. Consequently, instead of approaching from the Madhyamgram side, the aircraft was directed to land from the Rajarhat side. The Dassault Falcon 2000 ultimately achieved a safe landing at 5:19 PM, marking a delay of seventy-two minutes from the original schedule.
An airport official later clarified that the CM's flight would have landed approximately ten minutes earlier had the runway change not been necessitated by the sudden alteration in wind patterns. Following this adjustment, flight operations continued to utilize runway 01R. Air traffic controllers emphasized that the decision regarding the landing approach ultimately rests with the pilot's discretion, noting that while larger Airbus and Boeing aircraft managed to land until 4:22 PM, the smaller Dassault Falcon faced greater challenges under the turbulent conditions.
Widespread Disruption Affects Multiple Flights
The severe weather event caused significant disruption across Kolkata airport's operations. At least sixteen other aircraft were placed on hold during the storm, and even after the CM's flight had landed, operations continued to be hampered by persistent strong winds. A SpiceJet flight arriving from Mumbai was compelled to divert to Varanasi due to the adverse conditions, underscoring the extensive impact of the meteorological disturbance on air travel in the region.
