Image used for representative purpose only KOLKATA: Water receded from the Kazi Nazrul Island Airport at Andal near Durgapur on Saturday morning but services could not be resumed as the terminal building needed to be cleaned and flight navigation as well as airline services equipment had to be readied for operation.
“We have overcome the major hurdle of waterlogging. The runway, taxiway, parking bays and the apron area have been cleared.We are now making the equipment operation-worthy before the notice to airmen (NOTAM) is issued declaring the airport open," airport director Kailash Mandal told TOI. Mandal said he was hopeful that services would return to normal by Sunday.
All five flights scheduled on Saturday to Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru were cancelled. Though the airport had announced the cancellation of the Chennai flight on Friday itself, the others were cancelled on Saturday. All three flights scheduled on Friday had also been cancelled.
While the Met office has forecast a decrease in rainfall from Saturday, there is risk of flooding due to water being released from the Durgapur Barrage.