Kolkata's new terminal, and what a relief! (And lots of pictures)

For the longest time, Kolkata (CCU) had pathetic terminals – both for domestic and international flights – and it was high time they did something about it. Now, the Airports Authority of India must be complimented on the new Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The airport is really fresh, swanky, and actually makes the flying experience in and out of CCU a whole lot better.

The new terminal is an integrated terminal for domestic and international flights, and set out in an wide “V” with unequal arms, the longer arm being the domestic side. The terminal building itself is at one end of the runway, and is to the right of the old terminal, when viewed from the city side (left from airside). This picture, courtesy Wikipedia, shows it quite clearly.

I flew in on SG 323 (trip report here), and on reaching CCU, we parked at the apron, though sufficient aerobridges appeared available. Cost cutting I suppose. The bus then took us to the terminal building, and this is what greeted us.

There are now 9 or 10 baggage belts for domestic arrivals, which takes away a lot of waiting time that one otherwise had to endure at CCU. My bag reached within 8 minutes of arrival, which was impressive!

The arrival area itself is massive, and provides much needed breathing space and fresh air.

With that, I was whisked away to work...and a stay at The Oberoi Grand. Read hotel review report here.

Two days later, I returned to take a flight back to MAA. From the main road that leads to the airport, there is now a dedicated flyover, that bypasses the signals en route. So you get off the flyover directly into the airport grounds. Here are some pictures.

 

Click on the pictures to enlarge them. 

The terminal building is a vast expanse of space, with enough room for long lines that CCU departures can end up with. 

There are also multiple security check points, which makes the entire process easier!

The post-security hold area is, like the rest of the airport, very spacious, with a total of 15 boarding gates (including 4 at ground level for non-aerobridge departures). Of these, gates 18-25 are for domestic departures, 11-16 for international, and gate 17 is used for both, depending on traffic. The international and domestic parts are still segregated by a glass wall, but there's lots of walking space. There's also a reasonable amount of retail options, including cafes and bookstores. The Mastercard and Visa lounges, as also the airline (9W) and Priority Pass lounges are at the left end of the terminal, near the restaurants.

The all-glass paneling also lends a classy touch to the whole place!

 

At the point where the domestic section meets the international section, is the smoking area, and also some recliners. I suppose they put it there so that only those who are really intent on walking all the way – it is some distance away – actually use them!

 

Overall, I think AAI has got it right with this airport in this particular city. Hope it doesn’t start crumbling like the MAA terminals!