A new record for Kolkata airport: Handled 3.6 lakh passengers during Puja days

The previous day, October 5, registered the heaviest domestic traffic with 30,170 arrivals and 30,220 departures. International arrivals peaked on October 4 at 4,119. Officials say the high points were domestic departures on October 5 and international arrivals on October 4.

The airport was described as “bustling with activity” as arrivals continued throughout the day and night. The sudden high volume led to overcrowding on taxi stands and bus stops.

Over the six-day Puja period, from Panchami to Bijoya Dashami, about 3.6 lakh (360,000) arrivals and departures were recorded. The busiest single day in that span saw 67,489 passengers arrive, of whom 64,630 were domestic travellers and 2,859 were international visitors. Those numbers underline the sheer scale of movement that follows the festival every year.

“The overall passenger movement around the festival has been substantial. During the six-day period from Panchami (the fifth day of Durga Puja) to Bijoya Dashami (the day after Dashami), approximately 3.6 lakh passengers traveled through the airport,” said an official.

To cope with the surge, airport authorities put special arrangements in place across two continuous days and nights. Extra staff were deployed, counters were kept open longer and operational teams worked to speed up immigration and baggage handling. Still, the sudden high volume pushed crowds out to the forecourt, creating pressure on taxis and public buses and testing the limits of surface transport.

“Kolkata manages this heavy load through a single, modern integrated terminal, T2, which handles both domestic and international flights. The L-shaped terminal, opened in 2013, has 128 check-in counters, 78 immigration desks and 18 aerobridges. Those facilities helped keep the flow moving, but airport officials admit traffic is fast approaching the terminal’s designed limits,” said an official statement from Airport Authority of India (AAI).

The statement said, to ease that pressure, the AAI has a multi-phase expansion plan in the pipeline. The blueprint includes a near-term modular expansion of T2, demolition of the old domestic terminal and construction of a new U-shaped T3, and a big increase in aircraft parking bays. The goal is to raise annual handling capacity from about 26 million passengers today to nearly 45 million by 2033.

“Once T3 is ready, T2 is planned to be converted for domestic operations while the new terminal will handle a mix of international and domestic flights,” the statement said.

For travellers who spent extra hours at the airport this week, the immediate memory was of a crowded, buzzing terminal and the strain on taxis and buses outside. For planners, the message is clear: Kolkata’s festival traffic is a yearly stress test, and the city must expand its infrastructure to match rising demand.