Structures, objects pose threat to flight ops at Kolkata airport

 Hours after the Air India flight bound for London’s Gatwick airport with 242 passengers onboard crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, questions in connection with safety and security, mainly during take-off and landing of flights at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport, are being raised.

SNS | Kolkata | June 13, 2025 : Hours after the Air India flight bound for London’s Gatwick airport with 242 passengers onboard crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, questions in connection with safety and security, mainly during take-off and landing of flights at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport, are being raised.

Officials expressing serious concern with the safety issues felt that obstacles starting from highrises, lampposts, water tanks, hoardings and billboards, lightning arresters, dish antennas, high-mast lights, tall trees etc that directly come in the flight path of Kolkata airport pose serious threats during take-offs and landings of flights.

The airport authorities have recently identified around 380 obstacles after a study on Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS).

Only around 100 such obstacles have been removed but the existing rest 280 seem to be a bone of contention to ensure safe flight operations.

An official at the airport said: “Many tall trees and illegal highrises have been cut down and dismantled so far but that’s not sufficient for unopposed safe flight operations. We have expressed our concerns during meetings with all administrative bodies like local municipalities, police and state home department seeking their interventions on how to remove the existing obstacles.”

A meeting of the Airfield Environment Management Committee (AEMC) was held recently to discuss the issue.

Nandini Chakraborty, principal secretary of the state home department, top police officials of the Bidhannagar police commissionerate and representatives of municipalities, including Bidhannagar Municipality were present in the meeting, according to the airport authorities.