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The crashlanding of Calcutta airport

A Pal in Calcutta

A furore has broken out in the West Bengal government and state business circles after reports claimed that the Union civil aviation ministry is planning to downgrade the Calcutta international airport to a domestic terminal. The state government is expected to take up the matter with New Delhi to retain the present status of the Netaji International Airport at Calcutta.

In the wake of the turmoil, aviation authorities are hesitant to disclose the present status of the plan. A senior official at the international division of the Airports Authority of India (which looks after the airports in India) categorically denied any move to downgrade the Netaji International Airport.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that there was no threat of the Calcutta airport losing its international status. While he too had heard similar rumours, he said no official notification had been received from the civil aviation ministry, and therefore, such reports were premature.

However, sources confirm that the ministry has been considering a move to downgrade the airport's status for quite some time, though no announcements have been made.

Civil aviation authorities in the capital have said the primary reason behind the move was economic: Calcutta airport simply does not generate sufficient revenue. The City of Joy's airport revenue is about one-fourth of Bombay airport's or Delhi airport’s total revenue. According to figures available up to March, Bombay and Delhi airports handled 2,859 and 2,538 flights respectively, while Calcutta handled a meagre 566.

In fact, while Bombay and Madras reported an increase in passenger traffic volumes of 14 and 13 per cent respectively, Calcutta recorded a marginal increase of 6 per cent. Similarly, while Bombay and New Delhi airports handled 392,000 and 327,000 passengers respectively, only 57,000 passengers went through Calcutta airport.

Ironically, today, even airports in smaller cities like Amritsar, Benares and Thiruvananthapuram enjoy international status with regular, albeit few, international flights operating out of the airports. The Benares airport and passenger traffic, for instance, is quite high as the city, besides being a prime tourist destination, is also a major leather business centre.

According to Airport Authority officials, there are three basic pre-requisites for an international airport: customs, immigration facilities, and adequate health arrangements. The airport must be also equipped with the necessary technical expertise to deal with and service incoming international flights.

Captain Bagchi, a retired Indian Airlines pilot, pointed out that an airport is donwgraded either on financial or technical grounds. Bagchi, who was a pilot for 32 years and the Indian Commercial Pilots Association general secretary for 18 years, said there was no question of Calcutta not measuring up to international technical standards. He said facilities like landing strips, lights, and the navigational systems at the airport were comparable with those in the rest of the country. This fact, says Bagchi, was aptly demonstrated when the airport recently received dignitaries from all over the world for Mother Teresa's funeral.

Thus, said Bagchi, any possible revision can only be done on financial grounds. Financial factors are based on the total revenue generated, volume of traffic, and landing and navigational charges. The landing and navigational charges are borne by incoming aircraft for using the navigational and other facilities provided by the host airport. And Calcutta's revenue earnings have been lower compared to other metropolitan cities.

Bagchi feels while Calcutta airport may still not have been downgraded, the facilities at Bombay and Delhi airports have definitely been upgraded and improved. The government also has plans to to elevate the status of airports at Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Guwahati and Hyderabad.

Airports are graded globally by an international body -- the International Commercial Pilots Association. This organisation checks and verifies that the technical and personnel infrastructure present at the airport is geared to deal with international flights and passengers. In this regard, Calcutta meets the necessary standard and there is no ground for complaints, though very few international flights operate out of the City of Joy.

However, cargo operators are unhappy with the service being provided at the airport. Recently, an European operator -- Taraom -- stopped operating from Calcutta airport. Cargo services in fact recorded an increase of just 4.8 per cent.

Indian Airlines remains the largest operator of international flights from Calcutta. Even Indian Airlines admits that there has been gradual decrease in international flights, especially to Europe and the United States, thought this has been marginally offset by the increase in flights to East Asia and West Asia.

A perplexing question is the timing of the move to downgrade Calcutta airport, because the problems afflicting the airport have been known for long. The move comes at a time when West Bengal’s Communist Party of India-Marxist government is trying hard to attract foreign investment and to market the state as an ideal investment destination. A non-international airport in Calcutta will be a serious blow to its plans.

EARLIER REPORT:
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