Kolkata Airport re-opens after devastating cyclone hits
21 / 05 / 2020
India’s Kolkata Airport has restarted cargo operations after it was hit by Cyclone Amphan last night.
The cyclone hit Kolkata yesterday with winds reaching 120 km per hour.
It claimed the lives of at least 84 people across India and Bangladesh and brought flooding and power outages across the West Bengal region.
The airport was forced to close until around midday as the extreme weather flooded the runway and several hangars.
Images from local news services showed the roof of at least one building appeared to have collapsed.
However, the airport said in a tweet that operations had restarted at around midday, with a cargo flight one of the first to take off.
It tweeted: “Kolkata Airport springs back to operation from 12 noon today after severe Cyclone Amphan ravaged at wind speed of 130kmph. First flight,a Russian chartered plane landed at 14:31 hrs for evacuation of stranded Russian nationals. First departure was SpiceJet cargo flight for Delhi.”
“Effective planning and team work has minimised the effects of Cyclone at the Airport and our teams are working round the clock to ensure uninterrupted services.”
