Kolkata: The relocation of a mosque situated at the end of the secondary runway of Kolkata airport could provide a lifeline of 10 more years for the airport, according to aviation industry experts. While the civil aviation ministry and the state government have cited safety and security concerns to push for the mosque's relocation, officials who have served at the airport stated that the airport capacity, which is projected to reach saturation by 2035, can be extended by a decade if the mosque is shifted and the secondary runway is upgraded to match the primary runway.
Current and Future Capacity
According to an aircraft movement forecast, the number of daily flight movements is expected to rise from 174 at present to 351 by 2035. Passenger movement is forecast to increase from 2.5 crore currently to 5.6 crore in 2035. While a new terminal will enhance passenger handling capacity, extending the airport's life beyond 2035 requires increased runway capacity. Airport officials emphasized that shifting the mosque and making the land available for full utilization of the secondary runway is crucial.
The primary runway currently has a peak capacity of 42 flights per hour. However, when operations shift to the secondary runway once or twice a week due to maintenance, the capacity drops to 27 flights per hour, averaging 33 flights per hour overall.
Impact of Mosque Relocation
An air traffic control official at Kolkata airport explained: “Once the mosque goes, the entire length of the runway can be utilized. This will increase the flight handling capability of the secondary runway to 42 as well. The hourly average can increase from 33 flights to 43 flights. That would mean an additional 10 flights per hour or 120 more flights over a 12-hour period when maximum flights operate in a day.” Operating 120 more flights per day translates to at least 18,000 additional flyers daily or over 65 lakh in a year.
Kaushik Bhattacharya, former director of Kolkata airport, stressed: “Increasing the airside capacity of Kolkata airport is absolutely crucial because unlike Jewar Airport in Noida near Delhi and Navi Mumbai International Airport near Mumbai, there is no alternative airport in Kolkata. Unless the airport’s aircraft handling capacity goes up, Kolkata and the rest of India’s economic growth will stagnate.”
Ownership and Legal Considerations
The plot on which the mosque is situated belongs to the airport, acquired during expansion in the 1960s. However, the mosque is not an encroachment as it predates the airport by several decades. Another official noted: “The state has to convince the mosque authorities that they will construct an alternative mosque and facilitate the shift before demolishing the structure.”
Safety Issues
- Runway End Safety Area (RESA): The mosque poses a hazard for RESA. While the secondary runway should have a RESA or free area of 240 meters beyond the runway end to accommodate aircraft overshoots, the mosque is located 160 meters from the northern edge of the secondary runway.
- Runway Displacement: To meet RESA requirements, the airport follows an 88-meter runway displacement that restricts the effective usable length of the secondary runway. While it remains suitable for narrow-body aircraft, it cannot accommodate wide-body jets.
- Security Concerns: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which oversees airport security, has 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 do not have clearance under the standard Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP) framework, which governs all airside access with biometric verification and role-based access.
