Kolkata: airport

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A brief history

1924-2024

Subhro Niyogi, Dec 9, 2024: The Times of India

A BOAC crew getting a ride to the terminal in a cycle rickshaw
From: Subhro Niyogi, Dec 9, 2024: The Times of India

Kolkata : An aerodrome with a grass runway set up in the early 20th century, which saw an airline make a scheduled stop in 1924 before it became a full-fledged airport and a key stopover for flights operating between North America and Europe to southeast Asia, turned 100 this year.


On Dec 21, Kolkata airport will kick off its centenary celebrations. These will trace the airport’s chequered history, which includes a roller-coaster ride in the mid-20th century when several major international carriers connected Kolkata with the rest of the world in the 1950s before they withdrew in the 1970s and 80s, leaving the city rather isolated on the global aviation map. The airport, though, has since turned around and is now one of the key gateways to southeast Asia and the Gulf.


The airport began as an open ground next to the Royal Artillery Armoury in Dum Dum. On May 2, 1924, Lt Pilchet Doisy, a French pilot, landed a Dakota-3 aircraft at the airport. Three days later, a Paris to Tokyo flight on way from Agra landed at the airport. The flight arrival drew a massive crowd. 
“The years between 1940s and 1960s saw the airport explode in popularity as a stopover hub. The airport handled flights from Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, KLM, Pan Am, Lufthansa, Swissair, and SAS on the routes from Europe to Asia,” Kolkata airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said.


However, the airport hit an air-pocket when the introduction of long-haul aircraft during the 1960s did away with the need for refuelling stops. It was only after liberalisation in 1990s that the airport regained prominence. A new domestic terminal was constructed in 1995, and the airport was renamed in honour of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. “The surge in domestic traffic following the advent of low-cost carriers in the early 2000s saw passenger count exceed terminal capacity by 2005,” Beuria said.


While the capacity is being increased from 2.6 crore passengers per annum to 2.8 crore, the addition of a new terminal in two phases will see it rise further to 3.9 crore per annum.