‘Structure displaces runway threshold': Centre reviews Bankra mosque issue on Kolkata airport; CISF cites security lapses
Times of India | 3 December 2025
KOLKATA: The century-old mosque situated in the Kolkata airport operational area does not affect day-to-day flight operations but could pose a problem if the primary runway is out of operation on a foggy winter day or if a flight landing on the secondary runway from the Rajarhat end overshoots the landing strip or one touching down from the opposite end falls short of the runway.
"The Bankra mosque's presence hinders the installation of the instrument landing system (ILS) at the northern edge of the secondary runway, which can enable flights approaching the airport from the New Town end to land when visibility is poor. Iit also compromises safety. The mosque lies barely 165 m from the end of the northern edge of the secondary runway, which is significantly short of the minimum runway end safety area requirement of 240 m," an airport official told TOI.
The primary runway has Category (CAT) III ILS at both ends, allowing flight operations from either side until 50 m visibility. On the other hand, the secondary runway has CAT I ILS only at the southern end, allowing flights approaching from Madhyamgram to land when visibility is up to 800 m. At the other end, which is in use in winter when the wind blows from north to south, there is no ILS as airport authorities are unable to install the Localiser required to provide guidance, range, and visual information to pilots.
However, the displacement of the secondary runway's northern threshold by 88 m due to the presence of the mosque does not impact regular flight operations, as the remaining length of the 2,832 m runway is more than capable of handling up to Code D aircraft like Boeing B767 and Airbus A310. The only aircraft that would be unable to land on the secondary runway is the A380, which does not operate to Kolkata.
"Usually, flights use the primary runway. At night, when international flights with wider aircraft land, we usually make sure that the 3,633 m primary runway is operational. But should the primary runway be unavailable due to some issue, all of these flights can operate using the secondary runway if there is no visibility issue. The 88 m threshold deflection does not matter," an official said.
The threshold deflection was flagged by Minister of State for Civic Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in reply to a query from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya about whether the mosque was obstructing the safe extension and full utilisation of the runway.
Airport officials said the runway was long enough and did not require extension, but there were other safety concerns, particularly in exigencies should a plane approaching the airport from the northern side land short of the secondary runway or an aircraft landing from the opposite end overshoot the runway. In both instances, the plane will hit the mosque, leading to a catastrophic accident similar to the air crash in Ahmedabad this April.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which oversees airport security, also flagged the issue of outsiders' access to the airport operational area. Though devotees are frisked and register their names before being allowed to board the mosque-bound bus, CISF pointed out that they did not have clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
However, unlike earlier when devotees had to walk from the boundary to the mosque through a 200 m long corridor, they are now ferried in a bus that operates before and after the prayers.
This was done to create a taxi track that cuts through the length between the boundary wall and the mosque to enable departing aircraft to reach the northern end of the runway for the takeoff run. Prior to this, planes had to enter midway into the runway and then backtrack to the end before the takeoff run.