The apron area at Kolkata airport, where aircraft are parked, loaded and unloaded, refuelled and serviced between flights, is set for a major expansion worth Rs 337 crore on the southern side of the terminal building. The project is part of a larger plan to augment the airport’s airside capacity.
The airport handled around 1.1 crore passengers in the first half of 2025, nearly matching the corresponding 2019 figure. Kolkata airport handled around 2.2 crore passengers during the full year. As part of the capacity augmentation measures, the integrated terminal’s annual passenger-handling capacity has recently been increased from 2.6 crore to 2.8 crore. The international section is also being expanded, with around 60,000 sq ft of additional space planned in the southern part of the terminal. AAI has also expanded the domestic departure area by 993 sqm and is adding another 300 sqm to the international departure section. Runway handling capacity at the airport has increased from 35 to 45 flights per hour following the addition of new taxiways and rapid-exit corridors. The airport’s larger redevelopment plan envisages increasing annual passenger-handling capacity to around 4.5 crore by 2032-33. The old domestic terminal is proposed to be demolished to make way for a new U-shaped international terminal with 21 aerobridges. Aircraft parking bays are planned to increase from 73 to 132.
“The need to expand the airside infrastructure has become even more pressing with the passenger numbers approaching and at times, even crossing pre-pandemic levels,” a senior airport official said. The apron expansion is scheduled to be completed over the next three years. It will create additional operational space for aircraft parking, servicing and ground-handling activities. The expansion comes as passenger traffic at Kolkata airport has recovered to pre-pandemic levels and continues to grow. The rising passenger numbers have increased the need for additional airside and terminal infrastructure to support airport operations. Additional passenger space has also been created in the departure areas, including expanded seating and passenger facilities. The expansion will provide space to reorganise immigration and customs facilities and add passenger amenities, retail and food-and-beverage outlets. Two new taxi tracks have also facilitated wide-body aircraft operations and improved ground movement. The plan includes major changes to the existing terminal and aircraft parking infrastructure.
