Kolkata Airport suspends operations for 21 hours ahead of Cyclone Remal

Authorities at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata have announced the suspension of flight operations for a period of 21 hours from Sunday, May 26, noon. This decision comes in anticipation of the potential impact of Cyclone Remal, confirmed by an official press release published today, May 25.

The precautionary measure was initiated following an in-depth meeting involving key stakeholders of the NSCBI Airport held on Saturday.

C Pattabhi, NSCBI Airport Director, said, “In view of the impact of cyclone Remal on the coastal region of West Bengal including Kolkata, a meeting was held with the stakeholders and it was decided to suspend flight operations from 12:00 IST in May. From 26:00 to 09:00 IST on May 27 due to forecast strong winds and heavy to very heavy rain in Kolkata.”

Cyclone Remal, with winds gusting between 110 and 120 kmph and gusts of up to 135 kmph, is expected to make landfall around midnight on May 26 along the coastal regions of West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The Meteorological Bureau has issued warnings predicting extremely heavy rains in coastal districts of West Bengal and northern Odisha on May 26 and 27.

Additionally, a storm surge of up to 1.5 meters is forecast, which could lead to flooding of low-lying areas along the coastal regions of West Bengal and Bangladesh by the time the cyclone makes landfall.