City airport sees rise in passenger footfall, flight movement

kolkata: The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport, Kolkata, has announced that the airport is witnessing steady traffic growth, helping it to gradually overcome the crisis posed by the Covid pandemic.

The airport authorities have announced that in March 2023, a total of 16,79756 domestic and international passengers travelled through the NSCBI airport in 11,420 flights. The officials feel that these statistics are encouraging for the airport that witnessed a drastic slump in passenger traffic and flight numbers during the pandemic.

This growth can also be attributed to the opening of some new and old flight routes that had ceased to operate due to Covid. Recently, Etihad Airways resumed direct flight services to Abu Dhabi from Kolkata. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, one of the low-cost carriers, has announced the launch of its new direct route connecting Kolkata with the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi. Fliers from Kolkata, going to Europe or the US make stopovers at Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.

An official said that the growth has also been aided by several facilities that the airport has and is extending to the passengers travelling via Kolkata airport. This also includes ease of travel and comfort facilities.

Highlighting some of the measures, it was pointed out that the city airport has introduced the Digi Yatra facilities for the passengers. It is a biometric boarding system using facial recognition technology.

It aims at providing a seamless and hassle-free experience for passengers at airports. Its main objective is to enhance the passenger experience by eliminating the need for verification of tickets and ID at multiple touch points and to achieve better movement of passengers through existing infrastructure using a digital framework.

Further, all the food and beverage and retail concessionaires at the airport have been equipped with digital payment methods such as UPI and card payments, allowing a hassle-free experience for passengers.

Additionally, the airport has placed recliner chairs across the terminal building so the passengers can relax before embarking on their journey.