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Kolkata Airport by Subrata Das
11 December 2007 Customer Rating : 
Arrival officials were very courteous. A large number of luggage carts available free. The arrival
area was clean, though did not look anywhere near the modern and the high-tech US airports that I am
so used to. There were taxi wallahs who came in as soon as we went out of the airport but stopped
bothering us as soon as we told them that someone was there to receive us. The departure lounge was
clean and had comfortable chairs, but was not large enough for the British Airways Boeing 777. There
was one gift shop that was too small but some nice stuff at reasonable prices. Unfortunately there
was no other shop or restaurant worth the name. In other words, compared to an international airport
anywhere in the civilized world, this airport will probably score a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 for
passenger comfort. The security checks were thorough. There was a stall that shrink-wrapped all bags
for a nominal fee. If this airport added a few world-class restaurants and expanded the sitting
area, Calcutta airport would earn a lot more goodwill from the passengers.
Kolkata Airport by Mark Bickerton
9 December 2007 Customer Rating : 
Passed through Kolkata airport again last week, when flying to Chittagong on GMG. The airport
really is rubbish. Nobody helps or smiles, most of the staff seem to spend their time chatting to
each other and using up all the chairs provided for passengers. Airside there is nothing - not even
the putative tea station was open, so you are just stuck in this room with no information and no
refreshments. What is it with India and airports?
Kolkata Airport by Mark Bickerton
15 August 2007 Customer Rating : 
Intl-Domestic transfer. For those new to Kolkata, please note that the domestic and international
terminals are almost next to each other. Taxi wallahs outside will try to get you to take a taxi but
you dont need one- its a 5 minute walk and unless its raining, its quite pleasant to walk.
Kolkata Airport by S Ganguly
3 March 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
I visited CCU airport this winter. The arrival area was dirty, but
luggage retrieval smooth. The departure area was so small that line
extended almost to outside the international airport terminal. Departure
booking area was good and clean, immigration check points were also OK.
But departure lounge was too small for BA flight. I had to sit on the
floor during security check. Is it too much to have Kolkata badly needs
a medium size international terminal.
Kolkata Airport by Yuko Tobenai
8 November2006
I just could not believe it. Such a large city which is mal-administered
and the airport (both international and domestic) is puny, ugly,
overcrowded and a shame on a city which even in 1960's was a pinnacle
which other cites in Asia used to look up to. Is this because at the
expense of Calcutta (Kolkata) the other cities where the effective
politicians lived became great.
Kolkata Airport by Sekhar Ray
18 July 2006
A very small airport with few facilities.It is relatively clean inside
but the departure lounge is cramped and there are no comfy chairs to
rest in should you have a long wait before your flight. The toilets are
not clean or modern. Security is very tight. The lines at the
immigration were much slowed down by the staff occupying the counters
and working at a very slow speed. What should take minutes, took more
than a half hour. The baggage collection depended on one single belt for
the entire area; the belt looked like a relic and needed replacing. The
long wait for the passport and exit paper check was tedious and time-
consuming and made more so by the speed at which the staff was working.
Horrible taxi drivers and "luggage helpers" who harass arriving
passengers at International from the moment they step out of the
building, and rip them off left and right.
Kolkata Airport by Arnab Sengupta
1 June 2006
Arrival – The airport terminal corridors look ancient and poorly painted
with uncomfortable smell of old air-conditioners, you have to be guided
by airport staff for the baggage collection area as the signs were not
prominent. Baggage Collection took a long time, got delayed due to
abrupt stopping of conveyer belt for sometime, though started again
eventually. Customs officials do take their own time but probably within
acceptable limits. What is much appreciated is the officials don’t
harass you unnecessarily (for money) unlike other airports like
Mumbai/Delhi. This is why I prefer this airport as entry point to India.
The exit points after green channel can be crowded depending upon how
many flights have arrived. When you step outside make sure you have
someone waiting for you otherwise book a pre-paid taxi before leaving
(always ask the staff inside the airport in case of confusion).
Otherwise taking a taxi outside can be a big pain and there are always
aggressive touts waiting to pounce on you. Departure – The visitors
lounge is small and looks ancient. The checking is average although the
officials are good and helping provided you ask for assistance. The
waiting lounge smells cigarette and this is because people can smoke at
one corner with the smell spreading around. Also it is very cold at
night as the air-conditioner is not climate controlled adding to
discomfort. In both cases the passengers are taken to the plane through
buses instead of aerobridge. The toilets are ok, but not clean or
modern. Don’t expect anything from duty-free shop. Security is very
tight. Overall comment – Needs modernisation in terms of facilities and
infrastructure upgrade. But this won’t bother you unless you are staying
long within the airport. What is more important is that the officials
won’t hassle you unnecessary unlike other airports, and this is what
matters to you when you are travelling in India.
Kolkata Airport by Swarup Dutta
20 May 2006
Kolkata Airport has changed a lot for better. I find the lounges more
spacious and better equipped than the new domestic terminal of Mumbai.
Of course its in no comparison with the big International Airport. The
security checks need to be managed better to reduce the Q length. There
should be more Restaurants and cafes. Also more Passenger Amenities need
to be installed. Hope it will improve in near future. Presently there
are too few International flights from this Airport. Hope to see more in
the coming years.
Kolkata Airport by Vijay Sampat
2 January 2006
On my recent trip to Calcutta, I arrived at the international airport on
October 21 and left on December 6, 2005. I was much distressed and made
uncomfortable by the physical condition of the airport and by the
process of entry and exit. As a former resident of Calcutta, visiting
there annually (or every 2 years), I was reminded of the late 60’s and
70’s Calcutta. Dim and grimy light fixtures and signage, soiled and
unclean washrooms with water seepage and nonworking water taps and the
general dinginess did not make me feel welcome to the city. The lines
at the immigration though generally disciplined were much slowed down by
the staff occupying the counters and working at a very slow speed. What
should take minutes, took more than a half hour. The baggage collection
depended on one single belt for the entire area; the belt looked like a
relic and needed replacing. Customs officers were scattered about near
the final exit in an unorganized way, not at any counters, adding to the
confusion and delay. When I left on December 6, a crowded and altogether
too small a departure area left me aghast. The currency exchange with
only one money-changing agency was in a cramped space with no upright
tables or counter space to fill out the forms. I gave up on the idea and
was able to exchange money only in Singapore: the process took less than
5 minutes. The long wait for the passport and exit paper check was
tedious and time-consuming and made more so by the speed at which the
staff was working. I had come in very early to the airport because I
had been warned. All this makes me wander if Calcutta will ever be ready
to welcome the international passenger, or attract the international
business client that it so desperately seeks. In contrast, my domestic
flights from the adjacent area of the same airport were smoother, more
orderly, with the processing much faster. This area, however, seems to
have reached its maximum capacity and could use expansion, more
maintenance and sprucing up.
Kolkata Airport by Rahul Biswas
1 May 2004
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata has improved substantially over the past
few decades. It's relatively clean and the immigration / customs both inbound and outbound is now
pretty good. Expect an interminable wait for your luggage once you disembark and to be assaulted by
so-called luggage porters and beggars as soon as you step outside. In recent years, the new Eastern
Metropolitan Bypass has made travel to and from the airport somewhat easier. The airport restaurant
had been closed for a good bit but is now open again and is fairly good.
Kolkata Airport by Deeshon
Munshi
24 April 2004
Being a former resident of Calcutta. I usually fly into CCU from either Bangkok or Singapore. CCU
has really changed from that of 20 years ago when baggage handlers used to rip through any bags that
very not kevlar reinforced ! The new baggage carousel upon arrival is a respite from the older one
but still leaves a lot to be deserved. The new Immigration area is also more roomy, however the
computing skills of the officers are not quite up to speed.
Unfortunately, almost nothing has happened with the departure lounge and the departure procedure -
it is in fact quite a chore to go through still . The last couple of times that I was there, the
smoking rooms were incapacitated. Also there is room for improvement in the
entertainment
department. Bengali's should really greet their visitor a lot heartily than currently on offer !
Kolkata Airport by B Mukherji
11 July 2004
I was surprised at how much better Calcutta/ Kolkata Airport has become in recent years. Once a
dump, the domestic terminal is actually the best in India. The staff is friendly and relatively
efficient, the terminal is relatively clean, and has more modern facilities than Mumbai and Delhi.
Unlike Delhi and Mumbai, Kolkata's domestic and international terminals are adjacent to each other,
so you don't have to get ripped off to transfer from one to the other. The international terminal
is not quite as clean and as efficient, but still a lot better than Delhi and Mumbai, and even
Bangalore, which in spite of being a high tech hub, badly needs a new, modern airport facility.
However, Kolkata has three drawbacks: 1) inability to handle higher air traffic,
ie not scaleable,
and lacks certain technical capabilities resulting in many flights with problems diverting to
Bangkok; 2) unable to handle landings in heavy fog during the winter; 3) horrible taxi drivers and
"luggage helpers" (NOT!) who harass arriving passengers at International from the moment they step
out of the building, and rip them off left and right.
Kolkata Airport by K Müller
22 June 2004
I often use CCU to fly to and from Dhaka, so I use both the domestic and international facilities.
Clearly, the domestic terminal is far more user-friendly than its international counterpart, which -
particularly in the check-in area - is somewhat cramped and dingy. The major drawback, though, is
that there is no covered, air-conditioned walkway to connect the domestic and international
buildings. This simply addition would make turn what is a necessary ordeal into a pleasant transit
experience.
Kolkata Airport by G Cuda
6 January 2004
A very small airport with few facilities. Hopefully the introduction of an extra flight from
BA
each week will bring more people through so the standard will rise.
It is relatively clean inside but the departure lounge is cramped and there are no comfy chairs to
rest in should you have a long wait before your flight.
Another point is that to stay in the airport rest rooms you must have flown in and be waiting for a
connecting flight. This is not made clear on their website.
Calcutta Airport by O Lloyd
26 November 2003
Calcutta Airport has come up to speed in the recent years, and it's about time too!
I only used to fly into CCU because it was the closest International Airport to Orissa, and cut my
journey time by a day. However, it was always a tiring and bothersome task fighting my way through
the immigration and baggage handling policies they seemed to practice - slow, slower and, at one
stage, stop!
Flying in wasn't too bad - on a good day, I could be off the plane and in a taxi within the hour
(depending on the carrier).
However, departing from CCU was a chore - Immigration, then check your baggage tags to bags, then
Passport Control, then a small tussle with Security and Baggage Check, then finally the (what seemed
like a mile) hike to the plane!
However, those days are gone if you fly in with BA - they insisted on a proper Gate being
constructed, and it is now up and running! Much to my delight, it's just a hop and a skip to the
plane, and then you're on your way.
Yes, you still have to grapple with Security and Passport Control, but the last three times I have
flown into/out of CCU, I have been spared the ordeal of searching for my bags and tallying them up
with my ticket tags.
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