Even though it currently serves far fewer flights than that, the Kolkata airport can accommodate more aircraft both on land and in the air.
According to officials, the airport has been using its expanded runway and airspace capacity for the past week.
The minimum lateral separation between two aircraft operating in Indian airspace has been reduced from 10 nautical miles, or 18.5 km, to 5 nautical miles, or 9.26 km, as of January 1.
The main runway of the Kolkata airport gained four rapid taxiways on December 28, which increased the runway’s capacity to accommodate aircraft.
According to an official, the main runway’s capacity has increased from 35 to 45 flights per hour.
According to a senior airport official in Kolkata, the capacity enhancement was carried out with an eye toward the future because the airport can currently handle 30 flights per hour during peak hours.
The duration of flight time for aircraft landing in Kolkata will be reduced due to the lateral separation of 5 nautical miles within the surveillance coverage in India’s airspace. Because of the 40% increase in airspace capacity, there will also be a shorter wait during takeoff, an airport official in Kolkata stated on Tuesday.
The very high frequency (VHF) network has also seen substantial improvement. All area control centers (ACCs) have state-of-the-art ATM automation systems that can integrate surveillance feed from multiple sources, in addition to the improved coverage of VHF and surveillance. Strong safety nets and tools for decision support are also included with these ATM Automation Systems, according to the AAI.
“It has been decided to implement 5NM (nautical mile) Surveillance Based Separation within Surveillance Coverage in ATS airspace of India, except where a reduced separation minima is authorised by appropriate ATS authority, after due process of safety assessments and consideration of the aforementioned factors.”
Knowledge base on Kolkata airport
Serving Kolkata and the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (IATA: CCU, ICAO: VECC) is an international airport. It serves as eastern and northeastern India’s main aviation hub. About 15.3 kilometers (9.3 mi) separate it from the city center. Previously called Dum Dum Airport and Kolkata Airport, the airport was renamed in 1995 in honor of Subhas Chandra Bose, a prominent leader of the Indian independence movement from Bengal. “Calcutta” is the IATA code for the airport, which corresponds to the previous official name of the city. One of India’s oldest airports, Kolkata Airport opened its doors in 1924.