Kolkata (CCU) | Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport

[avishar]

Is that a DC-10 used by Biman?Those must be altleast 2 decades old!

[sabya99]

Originally Posted by avishar

Is that a DC-10 used by Biman?Those must be altleast 2 decades old!

That plane is a Fokker Felloship F-28 and not DC-10. It could carry 70 pax. while DC-10 could carry 300 pax. Also DC-10 is tri jet while F-28 have only two engines. I think all the Biman DC-10s are out of service or not used for passenger service.

[Suncity]

'Renovated Kolkata airport by next year'

http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetai...ils030211o.php

"The new Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport will be ready by the end if this year. Besides there will be new air traffic control," he said.

He was speaking at the two-day conference on 'Infrastructure: The Global Growth Driver', organised by Industrial and Engineering Products in association with Bharat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

[Bombay2Calcutta]

UNCLOGGING VIP ROAD

Traffic planners chalk out decongest plan for airport path

Subhro Niyogi | TNN

Kolkata: During Durga Puja last year, air passengers had a taste of a phrase they had often used in a manner of speech but rarely experienced. For more than 100 persons, it was a case of being “so near and yet so far” as they lay stranded, caught in massive traffic snarls on VIP Road with the airport within sniffing distance. While some disembarked from their vehicles in desperation and tried to cover the last 2 km on foot, others — particularly those with luggage or children — sat frustrated, resigned to fate and missed their flights.
Though the 1 km-long Kestopur-Baguiati stretch of VIP Road remains the biggest headache for fliers, Kolkata airport officials are attempting to tackle the mess at the very mouth of the airport. Traffic planners engaged by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for chalking out traffic circulation plan within the airport premises have drawn a blueprint to make the 1.5-km stretch between Narayanpur and Jessore Road red light and snarl-free. The proposal has been submitted to the state public works department that is the nodal agency responsible for maintenance of VIP Road.
According to the proposal, three cuts in the median divider at Narayanpur, Kaikhali and opposite the entrance to the Airports Authority of India colony will be plugged to ensure that traffic flow is not disrupted by vehicles turning in from the other flank. At present, buses on route nos. 217 and 217 A heading towards the airport from Ultadanga, turn right into Narayanpur Road from the fist cut after Haldiram’s Food World. At the next two intersections, it is primarily private vehicles and pedestrians who impede the flow of traffic.
“We have proposed that all the three turning points be shut down and a footbridge built between Narayanpur and Kaikhali to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely. Buses and other vehicles that wish to do a U-turn have to drive on till the entrance to the airport and take the turn at gate no.1. Since a right turn flyover will be in place by the year end for passengers bound for the airport, the Uturn at this point will not be a problem,” airport director BP Sharma explained.
To reduce the log-jam at the VIP Road-Jessore Road intersection, the airport officials have proposed a ban on right turn at the intersection for vehicles travelling from VIP Road and headed to Birati, New Barrackpur, Madhyamgram, Barasat or further. Instead, it has proposed that a slip road to the left off VIP Road that was intended for Dum Dum-bound vehicles but now lies encroached, be cleared and widened to take all the traffic. While vehicles bound for Dum Dum will then carry on along the flank, those that have to travel in the opposite direction can do a U-turn at a proper interchange created near the Ordinance Factory.
“We have proposed that a small garden in front of billboards opposite the airport entrance be demolished so that the flank can be widened from three lanes to four lanes. If the suggestion is accepted, the logjam at the VIP Road-Jessore Road intersection can be removed. But first, the left slip road has to be cleared of a temporary vegetable market in the morning and commercial vehicle stand in the evening,” Sharma said.
PWD officials acknowledged the need to decongest the segment of VIP Road and said they would study the practicality of the proposal in earnest. “We will check the proposal and get the opinion of district traffic police. There is no doubting the need to sort out the traffic mess before the new integrated terminal becomes operational. For, the airport will progressively get more flights that will lead to a spurt in traffic,” a PWD official conceded.

[avishar]

Thats a pretty good plan i must say,they have thought this through.

Although i doubt it will reduce airport travel significantly but making traffic flow smoother it around that kaikhali more it will help matters.What needs to be done urgently is too remove slow moving traffic from the road like rickshaws and autos,who often park double lane!

That right turn flyover near the airport has the construction started?

In future i think the only way out of the VIP road mess it too build and elevated road running over its entire length to separate the high speed airport and madhyagram bound traffic from the slow moving local traffic.Because there is just too many housing complexes,shops,crossings,bus and auto stands on that route and they will not go away.

Building flyovers would only transfer the traffic bottlenecks from one crossing to another.

[Suncity]

More flights for Chittagong

http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=186641&cid=2

Bangladesh's biggest private carrier, GMG has increased its number of flight between Chittagong and Kolkata.

Instead of the previous two every week, GMG is offering daily flights between the port city and Kolkata.

GMG also operates two daily flights from Dhaka connecting with Kolkata.

[zenith_suv]

what a horrible and kiddish rendering to describe what is a very reasonable plan.

[arijeetb]

Originally Posted by avishar

Thats a pretty good plan i must say,they have thought this through.

Although i doubt it will reduce airport travel significantly but making traffic flow smoother it around that kaikhali more it will help matters.What needs to be done urgently is too remove slow moving traffic from the road like rickshaws and autos,who often park double lane!

That right turn flyover near the airport has the construction started?

In future i think the only way out of the VIP road mess it too build and elevated road running over its entire length to separate the high speed airport and madhyagram bound traffic from the slow moving local traffic.Because there is just too many housing complexes,shops,crossings,bus and auto stands on that route and they will not go away.

Building flyovers would only transfer the traffic bottlenecks from one crossing to another.

Yes, construction is ongoing at the airport end. A few pillars have come up. In this particular case there is no bottleneck transfer because from the point where this flyover ends, the 4/6 lane one way ramp will take off leading to the integrated terminal. The down ramp will take the at grade road and take the left turn to exit from the airport.

IMO three things will eventually clean up the mess i.e elevated road from Lake town till Haldiram (for which govt is awaiting central funds), the two metro connections converging at the airport and the proposed 8/10 lane road starting from City center 2 and bypassing a good portion of jessore road traffic.

[avishar]

@arijeetb I wasnt talking about the airport right turn flyover,i was talking about the tentative plans by the state government to build flyovers the other over intersections on VIP road like keshtopur etc.They better build that elevated road and fast,with exponential increase in airport traffic things are going to get madder in the days to come.

[arijeetb]

Originally Posted by avishar

@arijeetb I wasnt talking about the airport right turn flyover,i was talking about the tentative plans by the state government to build flyovers the other over intersections on VIP road like keshtopur etc.They better build that elevated road and fast,with exponential increase in airport traffic things are going to get madder in the days to come.

it may appear a little too late in the day, but still they should complete the elevated road fairly quickly..give it to a L&T or HCC to get better quality in less time but with more money!

The alignment of the airport-garia stretch calls for an elevated section passing thru Haldiram junction...so that one along with the entire New Town MAR01 stretch would be congested ..hence the need to have a signal free VIP Road asap.

[Bombay2Calcutta]

Cooch Behar’s wait for maiden flight continues
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: The wait continues. After two long decades, Cooch Behar airport was granted the go ahead by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over a week ago to operate flights. But services are unlikely to start till next month with operator Deccan Charters Ltd yet to receive a counter-guarantee on the service from the state government.
Deccan Charters had approached the state government for services close to a year ago and negotiated a 50% subsidy or payment for the final nine seats if they went vacant in the 18-seater aircraft. The airline has been operating services between Kolkata and Jamshedpur following a similar agreement with Tatas. But with the DGCA clearance for Cooch Behar taking nearly six months and then transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury retiring, the airline is waiting for an official commitment from the state finance and transport department before commencing service.
According to the new state transport secretary Rajpal Singh Kahlon, “The file is now lying with the finance department waiting for its approval because its involvement is crucial.”
The airline has to also do some preparatory work before starting flights between Kolkata and Cooch Behar. According to Deccan Charters director & CEO Jayanth Poovaiah, the airline needed to re-appoint ground handlers. “We had appointed an agency and hired three persons who were paid without work for three months. Now, we have to appoint them again,” he said, adding that the airline was keen to fly to Cooch Behar at the earliest as the wet lease of the aircraft from a South African firm necessitated a certain number of flying hours daily that could be achieved only when the service to north Bengal commenced.
Regional executive director Gautam Mukherjee said once the airline announced a possible date of commencing operation, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) would arrange for manning the fire department and ambulance service at the airport. “We already have men in ATC, engineering and operations. Once Deccan Charters is ready, we will fly in men and be ready to provide all necessary services,” he said.
Apart from targeting government officials and locals who now have to travel for over 12 hours to reach Kolkata, the airline is also keen on tapping the market in Bhutan. “Cooch Behar is a lot closer to Phuntsoeling, the gateway to Bhutan, than Bagdogra,” Poovaiah said.

[studdmanster]

cc: TT

More than 10 fliers miss their flights every day so that vehicles to and from Barasat and beyond can bypass the 24x7 snarl at the VIP Road-Jessore Road crossing.
The detour through an airport lane was meant to decongest the intersection but has ended up creating a new bottleneck for fliers and airline crew, leaving them stranded on the home stretch for up to 45 minutes on a bad day.

Anita Nankani, 26, would have missed her Jet Airways evening flight to Mumbai last Friday had the airline not bent the rules — check-in counters now close 45 minutes before departure — to give her a boarding pass 20 minutes before take-off.

“After sitting through a series of traffic snarls on VIP Road, the last thing I was prepared for was to get stuck after going past the airport gate. My car barely moved for 15 minutes because there was a long line of vehicles ahead of us waiting to take a left turn towards the Jessore Road gate. Thank god for the helpful airline staff,” Nankani told Metro.

With even flight crew reporting late for duty regularly, airlines have petitioned the authorities to separate airport-bound traffic from vehicles headed for Jessore Road through the slip road.

“We have met the airport director and requested him to change the traffic plan. An extra lane from the rotary near the Jessore Road gate should ease the problem,” said Vijay Matta, the chairman of the Airlines Operators’ Committee (Calcutta).

Fliers booked on evening flights bear the brunt of the chaos with traffic management at the gate becoming slack after dusk.

Although the slip road is meant to be a one-way route with alternate timings for entry from either side, traffic often overlaps with the cops looking the other way.

The stretch is officially open to city-bound vehicles till 2pm and Barasat-bound ones for the second half of the day.

“If only the police had strictly implemented the timings, the snarls wouldn’t have been so bad. Up to 15 passengers miss their flights on an average every day, especially after 7pm. The airport authorities can’t make fliers suffer to ease congestion at the VIP Road-Jessore Road intersection,” said a spokesman for a private airline.

The slip road was opened to traffic at the police’s request in March 2009 to ease the pressure on the VIP Road-Jessore Road intersection, where snarls hold up commuters for at least 20 minutes during rush hour.

“If we hadn’t allowed Barasat-bound vehicles to use the approach road to the airport, then snarls would have stretched till Kaikhali and more people would have missed their flights. The snarls at the VIP Road-Jessore Road crossing would be unmanageable without the slip road,” said the superintendent of police of North 24-Parganas, Rahul Srivastav.

He blamed the “sharp bend” at the approach to the Jessore Road gate for the snarls that were delaying fliers.

“The bend has eaten up a lot of space, preventing airport-bound vehicles from overtaking those headed left for the Jessore Road gate. We have requested the airport authorities to re-engineer that area so that the curve of the left turn is reduced,” he said.

But why aren’t the police enforcing the one-way rule?

“We never allow vehicles from both sides at the same time,” insisted SP Srivastav, refusing to admit what the Metro picture above proves.

A sub-inspector on duty near the airport tried to justify “unofficially” relaxing the one-way rule by saying that schoolchildren and people headed for offices had benefited immensely from the airport lane being opened to traffic from both sides simultaneously.

But residents of the area said two-way traffic was to blame for the chaos all around. “Whenever the gate is unmanned, which is invariably the case late in the afternoon or after dark, vehicles coming from the Barasat side take a left turn to hit the airport lane. This triggers a snarl every few minutes that adds to the traffic pressure all around,” said a shopkeeper on Jessore Road.

Two-wheelers are the prime culprits, flouting traffic rules with impunity as the lone traffic constable at the gate struggles to keep the four-wheelers from overtaking.

Drivers say the absence of proper signage is part of the problem.

“I have used this road several times but not spotted a sign mentioning the one-way timings. I don’t know which side is open at what time. There might be a sign somewhere but it’s not visible,” said a taxi driver.

There have been occasions when fliers have got off their vehicles or taxis to walk the remaining stretch of the road to the airport, dragging their luggage with them.

“Someone travelling light might be able to do that but what if you have your family with you and at least four pieces of luggage? Walking is not the solution,” insisted a senior company executive who was caught in a snarl on that stretch recently.

“I didn’t miss the check-in deadline by a couple of minutes but someone who was supposed to travel with me didn’t make it on time for no fault of his. It’s ridiculous,” he fumed.

According to Matta, airlines suffer bigger losses than fliers when a pilot or members of the cabin crew report late for duty because of snarls.

“A flight being delayed is not only loss of time but also money,” he said.

Before taking off, airline crew need to undergo a mandatory briefing on the route and other technical aspects of the flight.

“Whenever we are delayed, the briefing has to be curtailed and we have to rush through the screening process. That’s not the right thing to do,” said a pilot.

A meeting on traffic problems in and around the airport is slated for next week. “We will discuss some alternative plans to ease traffic flow. A solution will certainly come out of that meeting,” promised a senior officer of North 24-Parganas police.

[avishar]

I wonder which idiots bright idea it was to come up with this ingenious plan.As it is the kolkata airport is facing so much flak because of traffic congestion on vip road,now this!

[sidney_jec]

"Hey traffic woes? lets build a flyover somewhere."
"Sir, we already have a flyover."
"Oh, is it? Not to worry. I have a cunning plan. lets add a slip road somewhere and call it state of the art and world class and Voila!!! There, we have enough to keep the jouronos mouth shut for 2 years at least"
"Sir that's the most cunning plan since man started cunning plans"

[studdmanster]

[G.Ag]

[sabya99]

Another view of newly constructed 01L, the south side of secondary runway . Please watch this you tube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iLy39D-cMk

[Malaysia Mustafa]

AirAsia is cancelling its KUL-CCU from summer schedule i.e., 27th March. Though the official announcement yet to release, booking has been closed already.

[mountaincloud]

Originally Posted by Malaysia Mustafa

AirAsia is cancelling its KUL-CCU from summer schedule i.e., 27th March. Though the official announcement yet to release, booking has been closed already.

do you know why?

[Skyprince]

Well, most probably due to overcongestion in KL's LCC Terminal. Non-lucrative routes like KUL-Kolkata , KUL-Palembang etc are withdrawn in order to give way to more lucrative ones

They may reopen Kolkata lines once new LCC is opened on Oct 2012