Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s aircraft was unable to land at the Kolkata airport on Thursday evening due to heavy rain and strong winds, officials said.
She was returning to the state capital after attending election rallies in Paschim Bardhaman district’s Andal when the weather turned adverse, affecting flight operations at the airport.
The chief minister was travelling in a chartered flight, which had taken off from the Andal airport around 3.30 pm and was scheduled to land in Kolkata around 4 pm.
According to airport sources, heavy rain accompanied by strong gusty winds lashed the area surrounding the airport, significantly reducing visibility and making it unsafe for landing operations. As a result, air traffic control did not grant clearance for landing, leading to prolonged uncertainty over the aircraft’s status.
During this period, Banerjee remained airborne as the aircraft kept circling over the city and adjoining areas. Sources indicated that the pilot made multiple attempts to land as weather conditions showed brief signs of improvement. At one point, the aircraft approached the airport for descent, but worsening conditions forced the pilot to abort the attempt and change course.
Data from flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 suggested that the aircraft was diverted towards the Behala region and made at least three attempts to land at the Behala Flying Club. However, these attempts were unsuccessful due to adverse weather, prompting the pilot to return towards Kolkata airport once conditions marginally improved.
Airport authorities stated that flight operations remained suspended for a considerable period, with no aircraft able to take off or land during the peak of the storm. Officials also monitored the fuel status of the Chief Minister’s aircraft, as the availability of adequate fuel was a crucial factor in determining its movement and potential diversion to an alternate airport if required. Meanwhile, the situation on the ground also reflected the severity of the storm. A stage prepared at the airport premises for Banerjee’s interaction with the media after landing was reportedly damaged due to strong winds.
Several parts of the city experienced intense rainfall and squally weather from the afternoon onwards, in line with earlier forecasts issued by the meteorological department. “After nearly 90 minutes of circling, the aircraft finally received clearance to land as weather conditions improved slightly. It touched down safely at around 5:19 pm,” a senior official of the airport told The Statesman.
Following her arrival, the Chief Minister left the airport by car. Though she briefly acknowledged the presence of media personnel by waving, she did not make any formal statement regarding the incident. Banerjee had begun her election campaign tour across districts earlier this week. On Thursday, she addressed public meetings in Pandaveswar in West Burdwan and Dubrajpur in Birbhum before heading back to Kolkata. While she has no scheduled rallies on Friday, her campaign is set to resume on Saturday.
HL West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee has tense mid-air experience, plane circles Kolkata airport for 90 minutes
