All flight operations from Kolkata airport remained suspended for 15 hours from Thursday evening to Friday morning as the sever cyclone comes closer to West Bengal and Odisha coast.
The Kolkata airport authorities have already sounded alert saying, “In view of Cyclone Dana’s impact on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata, it has been decided to suspend flight operations from 6 pm on Thursday to 9 am on Friday due to predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall in Kolkata.”
Air India has also issued an advisory to its passengers, “Kolkata airport will remain closed from 6 pm on 24 October till 9 am on Friday due severe cyclone. All air India flights to and from Kolkata are cancelled during this period. If your flight has been rescheduled, please click here https://airindia.com/in/en/manage/selfreaccomodation.html to select an alternate option.”
As the time of suspending flight operations gradually approached, the Kolkata airport authorities started making arrangements to ensure safety of people and planes and infrastructure at the facility.
All entry and exit doors of the terminal building were sealed after the last flight departed from the city airport while the aircraft parked on the bays were also tied up, top officials of the airport said.
In addition, all aerobridges were retracted and ladders were tied together to prevent those from moving and hitting planes during the storm, they added.
Following the standard operating procedure, all vehicles used in the airside of the airport have also been removed from the operational area by this evening.
“All ground handling equipment will also be chained together so that nothing moves due to gusts,” according to the sources at the airport.
Sources said that airlines work in sync with the authorities of the airport.
Other standard safety-related procedures such as lowering of high mast lights and mooring of smaller aircraft will also be done, the sources said.
No light or moveable objects will be left in the open.
Pumps are on standby at the operational area of the airport to drain out water from the premises in case there is inundation due to heavy rainfall induced by the cyclone, the airport director said.
State government employees have also been informed to make sure that the area around the airport premises, both city side and air side, are free from waterlogging because it needs to be ensured that the approach roads to the airport are clear once operations at the airport resume at 9 am on Friday.
The IMD said that the cyclone is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port in neighbouring Odisha early Friday. The maximum speed during the landfall process is likely to be around 120 kmph.