Kolkata (CCU) | Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport

[abhipinak]

Originally Posted by Kunal Gupta

I was travelling this morning to Indore - tried to take a snap albeit hazy of the new aerobridges in the new terminal.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Aerobridge looks installed now instead of being "inplace".
but when are they going to take off the ugly brick walls in front of them.

[mountaincloud]

Here you go: Airport is moving towards completion not with a bang but a whimper.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/112121...p#.UMZ5JKxr24s


Fasten seat belts but not to fly
SANJAY MANDAL

Calcutta airport’s long overdue integrated terminal will be inaugurated on January 23 and thrown open three days later but most fliers would have to make do with the ill-equipped old facility for several more weeks.

The Rs 2,325-crore project that has missed four deadlines since August 2011 is supposed to make amends for the substandard terminal facilities that fliers to and from Calcutta have had to bear with for years.

But for the majority of the domestic fliers, the wait to sample the new facility would be longer than for international travellers.

“We are planning to make the new terminal operational from January 26 with international flights. Domestic airlines will be shifted there in phases,” V.P. Agrawal, the chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), said on Monday.

Officials involved in the project cited a shortage of aerobridges, among other infrastructural shortcomings, as the reason for delaying the start of domestic operations.

Five aerobridges have already been installed and seven more set sail from Indonesia last Saturday.

The terminal has been designed in such a way that 80 per cent of the fliers would board or disembark from flights through 18 aerobridges.“Twelve aerobridges are enough to handle the existing passenger flow,” the AAI chairman said.

The software for the baggage handling and check-in counters have not been fully installed either.

“We are still awaiting readiness in terms of IT issues,” said Capt. Sarvesh Gupta, the chairman of the Airlines Operators’ Committee. “So the transition will need to be done in a phased manner over a few weeks’ time.”

Even if international airlines start operating from the integrated terminal on January 26, passengers might have to do without duty-free shops for some time.

The contract with the agency that currently operates duty-free shops ended earlier this year. “They are doing business on an extended contract,” airport director B.P. Sharma said.

Eight international agencies have bid for duty-free shops in the new terminal. “The tender is likely to be finalised by the end of this month. However, the customs authorities have yet to grant permission to use that space,” Agrawal said.

For domestic passengers, a few weeks’ delay in shifting to the new terminal means making do with the old, shabby facility for the entire tourist season.

The airport handled 12,000 domestic passengers daily on an average last week. The daily average of international fliers during the same period was 3,000.

With the passenger load set to increase further over the next three weeks, airport officials expect the number of domestic passengers to be around 15,000 daily during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve week. In an already rundown domestic terminal, a holiday rush would heap twice the trouble on passengers.

“The airport authorities have improved some sections of the old infrastructure but we still face problems,” said businessman Sunil Virwani.

He was flying to Mumbai last week and had to queue up for more than 15 minutes for the security check. “There are long queues at the departure gates too,” Virwani said.

Fliers also complain of dirty toilets and inadequate trolleys. Some of the trolleys that had been repaired have become defective again, often damaging luggage.

Businessman Satyajit Burman arrived from Delhi last week and faced the same problem. “The trolley I got was one with a jammed wheel. Of what use is a trolley without a proper wheel?” he demanded.

The condition of the international terminal is apparently worse, the saving grace being that it doesn’t handle as many flights as the domestic facility does.

[NiladriG]

Originally Posted by mountaincloud

Here you go: Airport is moving towards completion not with a bang but a whimper.

That's good news that 7 more aerobridges have been shipped already.

[BengaliTiger]

Telegraph has turned into a newspaper which will always represent the news in a negative tone. The news headline could have been "Fasten seat belts to fly abroad. I don't think any airport in the world will shift all its operation in one fine morning to a new terminal, its obvious that the shift will be done in phases. Rather than focusing on the new features the new terminal is going to have, it has focused more on the situation in the old terminal. Duty free shops are not the essential features that a regular flier will be looking out for in a terminal. I think I should change the newspaper for a more balanced news.

[NiladriG]

Originally Posted by abhipinak

Aerobridge looks installed now instead of being "inplace".
but when are they going to take off the ugly brick walls in front of them.

That brick wall is going to stay, I believe.

[BengaliTiger]

3 international airlines coming to city shortly

There is a flutter of new foreign wings on Kolkata’s horizons. Even though the inauguration of the new terminal of Kolkata airport is several weeks away, three international carriers from Japan, Turkey and Dubai have expressed interest in starting flights to and from the city.

According to the chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), VP Agarwal, Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Fly Dubai have evinced interest in starting operations from Kolkata.

The AAI chairman expressed happiness that Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo would start international flight operations from Kolkata on December 21 this year. Initially, they will fly to Bangkok. “They also have plans to connect other international destinations, such as Kathmandu, Dubai and Singapore to Kolkata,” the chairman said.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-...e1-971226.aspx

[Ranveer Kumar]

Originally Posted by BengaliTiger

3 international airlines coming to city shortly

There is a flutter of new foreign wings on Kolkata’s horizons. Even though the inauguration of the new terminal of Kolkata airport is several weeks away, three international carriers from Japan, Turkey and Dubai have expressed interest in starting flights to and from the city.

According to the chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), VP Agarwal, Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Fly Dubai have evinced interest in starting operations from Kolkata.

The AAI chairman expressed happiness that Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo would start international flight operations from Kolkata on December 21 this year. Initially, they will fly to Bangkok. “They also have plans to connect other international destinations, such as Kathmandu, Dubai and Singapore to Kolkata,” the chairman said.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-...e1-971226.aspx

JAL news:
Yes, I think JAL is very much require for increasing Int. CCU traffic. Because through Tokio people can easily access US. Another important part our govt. should develop automobile, electronics industry. If it is happen then people of WB and traffic of CCU both will be benifted.

[NiladriG]

Originally Posted by BengaliTiger

According to the chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), VP Agarwal, Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Fly Dubai have evinced interest in starting operations from Kolkata.

This is great news, CCU urgently needs more int. flights.

So following airlines are in pipeline:

1. Indigo
2. Spicejet
3. Turkish
4. FlyDubai
5. JAL
6. Malaysian

[sidney_jec]

[Chuckles960]

Originally Posted by BengaliTiger

3 international airlines coming to city shortly

There is a flutter of new foreign wings on Kolkata’s horizons. Even though the inauguration of the new terminal of Kolkata airport is several weeks away, three international carriers from Japan, Turkey and Dubai have expressed interest in starting flights to and from the city.

It is pathetic that "expressed interest" becomes "coming to city shortly". Is Kolkata so needy and desperate it does not know the difference?

What is more, the "expressed interest" quote is from Agarwal, who is not known for telling the truth

[atszapp]

Passed through CCU. Aircraft parked right next to aerobridge of new terminal. Installation looked complete.

The bad thing however is that one aerobridge is still lying waiting to be unpacked. Don't know when they plan to start installation for that.

[Ranveer Kumar]

One and half years ago MB "Showing Interest" Kolkata be London. Is there anybody here who can tell me how long people of WB will wait?



Main thing without industrial development none airlines company make their hub in CCU. In this part recent WB Govt. looks worst for ever.

[Sourav]

Originally Posted by Ranveer Kumar

One and half years ago MB "Showing Interest" Kolkata be London. Is there anybody here who can tell me how long people of WB will wait?



Main thing without industrial development none airlines company make their hub in CCU. In this part recent WB Govt. looks worst for ever.

i'm agree with you, jab tak MB rahega kuch nehi hoga.

[NiladriG]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/17579365.cms

It's a nightmare for daily commuters. Twice-a-day and five-times-a-week, a massive snarl grips the airport complex, ensnaring passengers flying into and out of the city and people headed to or returning from work on the northeastern suburbs.

Apart from the ordeal of commuters, who get stuck for hours at a time after entering the airport complex from VIP Road to hit the Jessore Road while avoiding the intersection, thousands of fliers suffer anxiety pangs as cars are reduced to a crawl. In the past couple of years, over 200 passengers have missed flights due to this traffic chaos.

"Between 5pm and 8pm, it takes 40-60 minutes to cover a 1km stretch from airport Gate no.1 to Gate no.2-1/2 that should otherwise take less than a minute. Often, the traffic jam extends till Kaikhali on VIP Road. Not just passengers, airline staffers and crew also get stuck at times," said Kolkata airport airlines' operators committee chairman Sarvesh Gupta.

The problem could have been solved over six months ago had Bidhannagar police and airport authorities agreed to tweak the traffic flow within the airport complex. But a curious mix of bureaucratic red tape, lack of pragmatism and unwillingness to concede ground meant that authorities turned a blind eye to the obvious solution and allowed the mess to perpetuate.

Both Bidhannagar Police and Airports Authority of India (AAI) accept it is a major problem and have been discussing it at the airport coordination committee meetings for years. But no consensus has emerged on the issue. While the airport wanted an embargo on entry of traffic bound for Birati, Madhyamgram, Barasat and Basirhat into the airport during the crucial evening hours, police rejected it outright, claiming that would trigger an even bigger snarl on VIP Road and stall traffic movement altogether.

Instead, police asked the AAI to commission the right-turn flyover that has been constructed as part of the integrated terminal project. It reasoned that use of the flyover by fliers would segregate them from commuter traffic even before entering the airport complex. While it would not solve the problem faced by commuters, it would at least ensure that passengers do not miss flights after reaching the airport.

"During peak hours, 75% vehicles carry commuters. It is the remaining 25% vehicles carrying passengers that suffer most. Many miss flights. The city too earns a bad name. If the airport authorities had considered the new traffic plan and implemented it, it would have been beneficial to all," a senior police officer said.

But the airport authorities refused to allow traffic on the flyover that leads to the new terminal, citing security concerns. Yet all that was required was to provide temporary barricades to guide airport-bound traffic to the existing international and domestic terminals.

For the commuter traffic, too, there is a solution that can considerably ease flow of traffic.

Samir Baran Saha, who worked at an aviation turbine fuel terminal in the airport and lives at airport city complex just opposite airport off Jessore Road, points out that if the city-bound traffic from Birati, Madhyamgram, Barasat and Belghoria Expressway is directed through Gate no. 3 opposite the cargo complex, while cars bound for the suburbs is exited from gate no 2-3/4 opposite the Indian Oil terminal, it would not only segregate north and south-bound traffic but also reduce the clogging that is currently caused when city-bound traffic has to move in the opposite director for half km before being able to do a U-turn and proceed south towards the city.

"The 1-km detour is senseless. It is this that impedes airport-bound traffic in the morning because for half a kilometre, these vehicles are joined by hundreds of city-bound vehicles that jostle for space on the two-lane western flank. It also leads to an unnecessary chaos at the end where airport-bound vehicles have to turn right while city-bound cars have to do a U-turn," said Saha.

To put this plan into action, all that is required is to increase the width of the airport road over a quarter kilometre stretch between the spot where domestic and international terminal bound cars turn right (city-bound traffic have to do a U-turn here as well) and Gate no. 2-3/4. At present, this stretch has a single lane but there is a wide enough footpath that can be reduced to make way for additional road space.

Morning (9.30am-11am)

80% cars that enter airport from VIP Road carry air travellers

95% cars that enter airport from Jessore Road carry commuters headed for south towards Kolkata

So both sets of traffic should have a free run. But city-bound traffic has to move northward for 500 metre and jostle with airport-bound traffic before it is able to do a U-turn and move south towards city

Since gate no. 2-1/2 is narrow and can allow cars to either exit or enter the airport at a time, when city-bound traffic is allowed to enter the premises and exit traffic stopped, it invariably creates a snarl before gate no. 2-1/2, curbing airport-bound traffic flow as well

Evening (5pm-8pm)

75% cars that enter the airport from VIP Road carry commuters bound for northeastern suburbs. Remaining 25% cars carry fliers but they are more in number than 80% cars that carry travelers during morning rush hour

Whenever traffic exiting gate no. 2-1/2 is stopped to allow west-bound traffic on Jessore Road to resume, it causes a massive snarl that chokes traffic on this entire 1km stretch. Often, it spills over to VIP Road and continues till Kaikhali

The situation is compounded during Durga Puja, Christmas and New Year's eve when airport traffic hits a new high. Hundreds of passengers miss their flights at these times, often entering the airport but unable to reach the terminal.

[Suncity]

Landed in Kolkata. No photos. But the most interesting thing was seeing two dogs run across the front of the plane as it taxied to the gate. Had heard in news papers. But it was interesting to watch it on livecam.

A whole new slum seems to have sprung up bang in front of the new terminal. Or maybe it was already there?

The VIP road can be officially renamed as Garbage Road with garbage stewn all over in generous helpings. The blue white paint seems to be covered in dirt and dust. The downhill since 2008 seems to have accelerated. Why does the main entry to the city have to be in such a sorry state? The Ultadanga flyover entrance was waterlogged. The flyover itself seems to have not been cleaned. I guess I was expecting some sort of major transformation for the better after all the Singapore style hype planted in newspapers.

[jdutta2002]

Turkish Airlines eyes expansion in India; add Hyderabad, Kolkata as new destinations

NEW DELHI: Turkey's national carrier Turkish Airlines plans to double flights between Delhi and Istanbul and add Hyderabad and Kolkata as new destinations next year, its chief executive, Temel Kotil, told ET.

"We will expand into 250 destinations by next year and offer more connectivity to Indians," Kotil said. "We've better connections than Gulf carriers and have 85% loads from India. This is much more than our network-wide average of 77%."

The airline also plans to approach an Indian celebrity to promote Istanbul as a tourist destination and lure Indians to use its hub there to fly to the West. Last week, the carrier announced the appointment of soccer star Leo Messi as its global brand ambassador.

An estimated 90,000 Indians have already visited Turkey this year, compared with 75,000 in 2011. Kotil said the country offers a perfect getaway for the growing middle class in India.

The airline is also working closely with India's tourism ministry and has offered to support destination development in the country. Kotil said that Turkish Airlines, which is a member of the Star Alliance, is willing to support India's national carrier, Air India, whose membership of the global airline grouping was suspended a year-and-a-half ago.

"Air India is in good shape and has a good service quality. We, as Turkish Airlines, support them and are ready to help the AI management in our capacity to join us (Star Alliance). We are also ready to work with them to extend code-shares beyond Istanbul," Kotil said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/17579240.cms

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by Suncity

Landed in Kolkata. No photos. But the most interesting thing was seeing two dogs run across the front of the plane as it taxied to the gate. Had heard in news papers. But it was interesting to watch it on livecam.

A whole new slum seems to have sprung up bang in front of the new terminal. Or maybe it was already there?

The VIP road can be officially renamed as Garbage Road with garbage stewn all over in generous helpings. The blue white paint seems to be covered in dirt and dust. The downhill since 2008 seems to have accelerated. Why does the main entry to the city have to be in such a sorry state? The Ultadanga flyover entrance was waterlogged. The flyover itself seems to have not been cleaned. I guess I was expecting some sort of major transformation for the better after all the Singapore style hype planted in newspapers.

Airport a nemei poriborton r taste peye gacho?

[NiladriG]

Originally Posted by jdutta2002

[SIZE="5"]
NEW DELHI: Turkey's national carrier Turkish Airlines plans to double flights between Delhi and Istanbul and add Hyderabad and Kolkata as new destinations next year, its chief executive, Temel Kotil, told ET.

Finally, a west bound connection from CCU.

[NiladriG]

Originally Posted by Suncity

The VIP road can be officially renamed as Garbage Road with garbage strewn all over in generous helpings. The blue white paint seems to be covered in dirt and dust. The downhill since 2008 seems to have accelerated. Why does the main entry to the city have to be in such a sorry state? T

You should have seen the condition of VIP Road in monsoon. Stagnant, muddy water with garbage floating on water. The water used to clog some of the small roads on the side. There is no drainage system on VIP Road, nobody bothered to build one thinking that canal is a drain itself. Shudhu rong kore aar gaach pute to beautify hoi na.

[Chuckles960]

Originally Posted by NiladriG

Finally, a west bound connection from CCU.

In which direction do EK and QR fly?