Kolkata, Bagdogra airports on a festive high as flyer count sets new record – Times of India

KOLKATA/SILIGURI: Kolkata and Bagdogra airports clocked record passenger traffic since the onset of the pandemic 18 months ago, riding the festive season rush as Kolkatans settled in other cities flew in to spend Durga Puja with family and friends and others from the city flew out on holiday.
Between Thursday and Friday, the passenger figure at Kolkata airport shot up by 30% — from 36,000-odd to around 47,000. This is the highest passenger movement recorded at Kolkata airport in over a year and a half. While the passenger count hovered close to the 70,000-mark during the festive season in the pre-Covid era, the highest footfall recorded during the Durga Puja festival last year was 33,819 on October 19, Chaturthi. The second highest footfall was two days after Dashami when 31,768 passengers travelled through Kolkata airport.

The highest post-pandemic footfall till now had been clocked on February 26 this year when 47,037 people travelled through the airport. With a few more days to go for Puja, the record could get eclipsed yet again.
The rise in passengers has necessitated deployment of more manpower to keep toilets clean. Also, additional door frame metal detectors have been activated, as have been additional automatic tray retrieval belts in the security check area.
At present, the number of flights is around 80% of prepandemic level. “If the Covid case count remains stable after the festive period, air travel at Kolkata airport should inch closer to the pre-Covid level this winter,” said airport director C Pattabhi.
What’s adding up to the pressure at the Kolkata airport terminal is the added security measures in the context of an existing terror alert prevailing in the country during the festive days.
P Subramani, Pattabhi’s counterpart at Bagdogra airport that serves as the gateway to north Bengal, expressed a similar sentiment after the passenger count increased from around 6,500 on Thursday to over 8,000 on Friday, again the highest since March 2020 when the pandemic was declared. Prior to the pandemic, the airport used to clock an average footfall of around 9,000 passengers. The reason behind the sudden rise in numbers is the rush of tourists to Darjeeling and Sikkim.
At present, 26 flights are operating to Bagdogra, carrying 6,400 passengers on an average, a 55% increase in passenger footfall compared to post-Covid situation while recording 75% of pre-Covid fight movement. The surge is due to the festivities and tourism.
Subramani acknowledged that handling the passenger surge in the terminal that had space limitations was a challenge. “We have appointed 12 young men and women to help passengers and ensure Covid protocols are followed,” he said.