Kolkata: 75 flights lined up from Monday

KOLKATA: With food kiosks opening up, retail outlets undergoing clean-up, pre-paid taxi counters reopening, app-cabs back in the bay and AC buses outside terminal gate — Kolkata airport is trudging towards normalcy as the flight count will shoot up from just 11 to 75 from Monday. Flyers have been asked to report three hours prior to the flight.
“We are in the process of getting back to normalcy with all necessary precautions.Large scale sanitization works are underway at the airport throughout the day and passengers are being advised to stick to social- distancing protocols,” said Kaushik Bhattacharjee, the airport director.
Kolkata airport resumed domestic flight operations with handful of flights from Thursday. It hosted 11 arrivals and 11 departures on the first two days. On Saturday and Sunday, the numbers increased to 13 and from Monday, it will climb up to 75, exactly a third of the 225 domestic flights that operated from Kolkata before lockdown.
IndiGo will operate the highest number of flights followed by SpiceJet, Air India, GoAir, Air Asia and Vistara. Together, they will offer direct flights to 24 cities and towns.
With more passengers, the amenities, too, will increase at the airport. The pre-paid taxi counters, both inside and outside the terminal, are already operational and Bidhannagar Commissionerate authorities are increasing the number of personnel deployed at the counters from Monday.
“We will ensure more yellow cabs are available at the stands. We are also in touch with app-cab operators inside the airport to ensure there are enough app-cabs available,” said a senior officer of Bidhannagar Commissionerate.
“We had asked the state government for additional thermal checking points at the arrival gate. From Monday, there will be 14 thermal guns with additional manpower to cut down on congestion,” said a senior airport official.
An airport official, however, said that they are asking passengers to avoid trolleys for now. “Trolley use is being limited to the elderly, specially-abled and single parent carrying babies,” said the official.