ATC fire at Kolkata airport exposes lack of backup control facility
Times of India | 20 August 2026
Kolkata: Evacuating a building is standard protocol in the event of a fire. But when a suspected short circuit triggered a blaze on the second-floor terrace of the Air Traffic Management complex at Kolkata airport in the early hours of Tuesday, controllers had to remain at their posts inside the third-floor area control centre and the eighth-floor tower, managing flights in the sky.
Although the fire was doused within a couple of hours and no major damage was reported, the incident has once again raised concerns over the risks controllers face in the absence of an alternative facility from where they can guide aircraft.
Controllers in Kolkata manage 1,000-1,400 overflying aircraft each day across the extensive Kolkata Flight Information Region, in addition to 350 daily arrivals and departures at Kolkata airport.
“Air traffic control is a critical operation. One cannot simply abandon the post and risk a catastrophe. Controllers have to constantly track flight movements and ensure that aircraft maintain a safe distance from one another. While there are backups for systems used in area control and the tower, there is no alternative site from which operations can be conducted if the building is on fire. That is extremely risky,” said a veteran controller.
A modern air traffic complex and tower has been ready for over two years, but full-fledged operations are yet to begin there as the required systems have not been purchased. “For the past two years, a two-hour trial has been going on from 2 pm to 4 pm on weekdays, but it makes little sense if operations cannot be moved there during an emergency,” said another controller.
Controllers said the migration to the new complex and tower would still take a long time as new systems have to be installed, controllers have to be trained on them, and parallel operations have to be carried out before the shift can take place.
At the old complex, which houses the meteorological department, communication department, area control, tower control and anti-hijack room, only a single staircase serves the 650-700 people who work there. Though an airside iron fire-escape staircase was constructed, controllers said it is now in such poor condition that using it could lead to an accident.