Centre studying plan for 4 new airports in West Bengal

The Centre is assessing the viability of developing four new airports in West Bengal by reviving the airstrips at Balurghat and Purulia and setting up commercial aviation facilities at the IAF bases in Kalaikunda and Hasimara, officials said.

“The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is preparing a detailed project report for the four airports and will assess whether airline services there are feasible,” officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.

Officials could not confirm whether the airports would be developed under the UDAN scheme, saying the plan was still at an early stage. The Centre’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme (RCS) subsidises airlines that serve tier-2 and tier-3 cities and caps fares to keep tickets affordable.