"No bathrooms at the waiting arena"
G Andrews (India)
✅ Verified Review | No bathrooms at the waiting arena at departures section which is terrible. The closest bathroom is a good 10 to 15 minutes walk! No adequate seating facility at waiting arena 3C. Terrible experience of having to wait 4hrs as a single traveller. Many travellers have medical conditions or natural biological necessity to use a restroom!
Experience At Airport | Departure Only |
Date Visit | July 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"Airport is pretty sound in its amenities"
Sounak Moulik (India)
✅ Verified Review |
The Airport is pretty sound in its amenities. The airport has no public transport options after 8.30 pm and before 7 am. You have the only option of booking cabs which charge a hefty amount for short distances also. Between 7 am to 8.30 pm you have a number of AC buses which can take you to all the corners of the city. Inside the airport it has a very spacious look with a very high ceiling on which Bengali scriptures are written in huge letters. Overall there are a very limited shopping options with Flurys cake shop, some other confectionery and fast food stalls and a restaurant. Access to departures is only through Elevator or stairs but I could not find any automated stairways. Direct flights to your destination are generally not available but are available via Dubai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, New Delhi and Mumbai. One of the striking features of the airport is its parking facility which is underground and very spacious. The Airport is capable of hosting all classes of flights except the A380. Etihad mainly operates through its B-777 family and Air India operates through its A321 and B787 and other fleet members. The largest aircraft which I have seen in operation is the B747-400 of Air India, I guess that some other airlines may also use this. It is a nice place to hang out if you have a music player and your personal headphones. It is mostly a silent airport with not too much commotion of passengers.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | June 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
"1.5 hrs for immigration"
J Bakshi (Singapore)
✅ Verified Review | Infrastructure at Kolkata airport is just a one time factor, but most important is the efficiency which the responsibility of the airport. What is the point if it still takes "1.5" hrs for immigration. This would not be acceptable at any other airport in the world. I don't mean to present the problem and not indicate at the solution, I also do not intend to point fingers at the immigration officers, who were doing their jobs. I see this as a problem of flight planning, either there are no flights or the place is full. There are times say at 830pm when immigration is completely free and the officers are waiting idling. After a little while the queue is almost until the airport entrance. The best part is no one seems to complain, its another queue in life at Kolkata. Personally, with all the millions spent to upgrade the infrastructure attention needs to be given to this key issue.
Experience At Airport | Departure Only |
Date Visit | January 2017 |
Type Of Traveller | Family Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | no |
"fast check-in to boarding route"
AD Das (India)
✅ Verified Review | Kolkata is a vast and expansive airport. Needs a little warm colours to represent the city's warmth. Has very good food joints including Irish House. Easy and fast check-in to boarding route and plane. Very sustainable design with ample natural light and solar powered to an extent. Great customer service with cooperating personnel. Cabs (yellow cabs) as well as app cabs apart from luxury private cabs are ample and available 24/7 unlike my experience at Hyderabad Airport.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | October 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
"don't expect efficiency"
R Sanyal (United States)
✅ Verified Review | My flight arrived at and departed from Calcutta literally at the dead of night. The flight was full and the immigration checks both times took longer than they needed to. It is a mystery to me as to why some times the examining of documents takes a minute or so and at other times almost 5 minutes - for the same passport and visa! A short form - a sort of landing card - is filled out for presentation to the immigration officer; no such forms at exit. A currency exchange kiosk with four individuals were changing foreign currencies into rupees - given that the Indian government had outlawed the 500 and 1000 rupee notes, one needed notes of lesser value to pay for the transport into town. Despite the kiosk being amply staffed only one transaction was executed at a time, because everyone was checking on the other's work and verifying all documentation. The prepaid cab service worked. I reached my destination in quick time. At departure, the check in was smooth but immigration again scrutinized my documents carefully. All in all, this remains an easy, uncomplicated, functional airport. Don't expect efficiency.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | November 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | N/A |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
Kolkata Airport customer review
R Sanyal (United States)
I was visiting Kolkata during their big cultural festival - Durga Puja - and thus both times arrival and departure was unusually crowded. Immigration checks to get in took longer because of the long lines. The officers at the counter were also rather slow. There is a duty free store with a selection of imported liquors and chocolates just before exiting the terminal. Good to pickup alcohol as the price is markedly lower than what it is in the city. On departure, there were long queues for security and immigration formalities but there was a counter for business class passengers for immigration which was quick but with no similar privilege for security check, it took longer to be processed and the baggage checking was quite thorough. The business class lounge had several dishes of festival food but the presentation was totally unappealing. The wifi service on the sole desk top computer did not work satisfactorily. I have used this airport many a time and it seems to function smoothly when passenger traffic is light. The festival-induced higher than average passenger footfall seems to strain the airport set up and diminishes the overall travel experience.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | October 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | N/A |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
"uncrowded and quiet"
R Sanyal (United States)
Kolkata is an airport with relatively few international flights, hence, I have always found it uncrowded and quiet. At the immigration counter dedicated for e-visa travelers, I was the only person and the paperwork including capture of biometric data electronically was quick and smooth. In less than 10 minutes I was out of the terminal. Similar experience at departure. No hassles. Quick immigration and security checks. Airline staff exceedingly solicitous. We used jet bridges for arrival and departure saving us from exposure to the August heat. Without doubt, one of the easiest international airports to use.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | August 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Family Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
"better than it used to be"
Jogendra Mahato (India)
Kolkata airport is better than it used to be but the one thing that remains annoying is the extra 100rs cab charge that customers have to pay if you book a cab from airport. The behavior of the personal collecting this charge is ridiculous - Kolkata is considered as city of joy but such incidents can ruin your mood.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | May 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
"easiest and fastest immigration"
R Sanyal (United States)
I have travelled through Kolkata many times and have continued to find it be among the easiest and fastest to clear immigration and customs whether coming into the country or leaving. A separate line for "Diplomats and Business Class" passengers ensures that you are often at the head of the queue or just behind. Immigration officers are polite and passport stamped without fuss. Just before you exit customs, there is a duty free liquor shop with a small but decent selection of alcohol and chocolate - very convenient to pick up a bottle or a box for your host in the city. Upstairs there is a business class lounge used by all airlines. It has comfortable couches, a decent bar, and a selection of Indian and western foods. A bit dark, could benefit from some brighter lighting. Not crowded at all - it certainly helps that there are not many international flights into and out of the airport.
Experience At Airport | Arrival and Departure |
Date Visit | March 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | N/A |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |
"clean and easy"
John Haynes (United States)
Its a pretty big airport for the number of passengers arriving and departing and hence seemed really empty even at peak hour. Clean and easy to travel through, the airport is pretty and modern. However, duty free is small, there are not much brands or eating places or leisure activities at the airport.
Experience At Airport | Departure Only |
Date Visit | January 2016 |
Type Of Traveller | Solo Leisure |
Queuing Times | 12345 |
Terminal Cleanliness | 12345 |
Terminal Seating | 12345 |
Terminal Signs | 12345 |
Food Beverages | 12345 |
Airport Shopping | 12345 |
Wifi Connectivity | 12345 |
Airport Staff | 12345 |
Recommended | yes |