Airlines to shift facilities to new Kolkata terminal from Feb 1

Kolkata, Jan. 14:  

After a prolonged wait, aviation companies are bullish about starting commercial operations from the renovated terminal of the NSC Bose International Airport in the city in March. The terminal will be formally inaugurated on January 20.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) last week announced that the new integrated terminal would be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on January 20. They, however, added that “operations” would start only by the end of March.

Practical deadline

“For the first time, AAI has done a realistic assessment of the scenario at the modernised terminal,” a senior official of a private airline told Business Line. According to him, the end-March deadline is quite practical as “the carriers need time to set up due on-sight facilities and carry out system trials for both departure and arrival, before launching commercial operations”.

But, he added, there should be multiple trials of the baggage handling system, in the interim , to avert rush-hour chaos once commercial operations begin. “Such systems should get at least 80 per cent competency before the commercial operations start,” the official said.

“The carriers are expected to start shifting their facilities to the modernised terminal from February 1. Two month’s time for shifting is normal,” B. P. Sharma, Regional Director of AAI, said.

Interestingly, according to an airport official, even the common facilities such as VIP lounges, duty-free stores and others are unlikely to be ready by January 20, when the President will inaugurate the airport.

The Rs 2,500-crore modernisation programme, which is being carried out by the Thai-Indian consortium of ITD-ITD Cementation, has already missed three official deadlines for completion since August 2011.

The AAI could not begin operations at the terminal before Durga Puja in October last year as promised by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. According to sources, almost 95 per cent of the modernisation work has been completed as of now.

ayan.pramanik

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