The Indian aviation map is undergoing a major shift. The National Capital region and Mumbai Metropolitan region and the urban areas in and out Kolkata are set to become the nations first metropolitan regions to have multiple commercial airports.
The West Bengal government on Monday announced the plans of greenfield airport near Kalyani, 50 kms north of Kolkata, reviving a project that was discussed for years but never executes. On its completion Kolkata will have two operational tarmacs alongside the existing Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport. The announcement was made during the first Budget presented by BJP. Bengal’s Finance Minister, Swapan Dasgupta, said the government would develop a greenfield airport near Kalyani as part of efforts to improve connectivity and support economic growth in the region.
Mamata Banarjee, the ex CM of Bengal had rebuked the centres plan for a second airport in Kolkata. However, with BJP in power now, Kolkata has resumed its preparations. The previous government of Mamata Banerjee opposed the Centre’s push for a second Kolkata airport, arguing that acquiring 1,000 acres would require evicting residents. Now, with the BJP now in power in West Bengal, the long-pending Kalyani proposal appears to have regained momentum.
Meanwhile, India’s national capital was the first major multi-airport urban region. The airport at Delhi for decades served as a primary airport for NCR. It was in 2019, it gained a second civilian airport when commercial flights began operating from the civil enclave at Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad. Now the third airport at NCR opens international gateways at its third civillian airport.
Next was Mumbai, to address the future demand the centre the developed the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is expected to significantly expand aviation capacity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
After the project receives approval from the Central government and aviation regulators, Kolkata would join Delhi NCR and Mumbai as India’s third metropolitan region with multiple airports. This is a milestone that reflects both a city’s growth and its ambitions.