A powerful squall, the strongest of the season, wreaked havoc at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Friday, causing a near-hour-long disruption in flight operations. The squall, recorded at a speed of 74 kmph, forced the suspension of all flight movements between 2:21 pm and 3:20 pm as weather conditions deteriorated rapidly, according to airport officials.
Impact on Flight Operations
During this period, at least 10 incoming flights were forced to circle over the city for several minutes before receiving clearance to land. Meanwhile, ten departing flights were held up on the tarmac until visibility improved and conditions became safe for flight operations. An airport official explained, "Due to thunderstorm activity, the air traffic controller had to temporarily regulate flight movements to ensure passenger safety, leading to delays and diversions. Operations resumed gradually after the weather improved."
Flight Diversions
Five flights were diverted to alternative airports. Three flights were redirected to Agartala: IndiGo flight 6E 236 from Bengaluru and Air India Express flight IX 1537 from Bengaluru. Additionally, Air India Express flight IX 1522 from Agartala was forced to return after being unable to land in Kolkata. Two flights were diverted to Bhubaneswar: IndiGo flight 6E 663 from Patna and Air India flight AI 2471 from Mumbai.
All diverted flights later landed in Kolkata between 5:20 pm and 5:47 pm after weather conditions normalized. Despite the prolonged disruption, airport authorities confirmed that no flights were cancelled.
Waterlogging at Airport
Ground staff stationed in the apron area reported ankle-deep waterlogging at bays 33 to 40 on the south-western side of the airport. The area near an Air India hangar was also inundated. However, airport officials stated that the waterlogging did not affect operations since the affected bays are not used for scheduled flights during the monsoon season.
