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Bengal Signs Airport MoU for Four New Regional Airports
West Bengal has signed an agreement to work on four new airports.
They are planned for Purulia, Balurghat, Hasimara and Kalaikunda.
The plan is part of a national scheme to improve regional air travel.
The state government will provide the land.
The central government and the Airports Authority of India will oversee the airport work.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the earlier state government had held up airport and other projects.
He also wants a pilot training centre in Behala.
He asked for more flights from Kolkata to Europe and more services at Andal airport.
West Bengal signed an MoU with the Airports Authority of India to develop four airports under the Union government’s UDAN 2.0 scheme.
The proposed airports are in Purulia, Balurghat, Hasimara and Kalaikunda.
The state government will provide land, while the Union government and Airports Authority of India will oversee airport development.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of delaying airport and other infrastructure projects by not providing land.
Adhikari also proposed a pilot training centre at Behala and sought more Kolkata–Europe flights and additional services at Andal airport.
- Who
- The West Bengal government and the Airports Authority of India signed the MoU; Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu attended.
- What
- An MoU was signed to develop four airports under the UDAN 2.0 scheme.
- Where
- The signing took place at Nabanna, the West Bengal state secretariat in Kolkata; the airports are planned for Purulia, Balurghat, Hasimara and Kalaikunda.
- When
- Monday; the Ministry of Civil Aviation post cited in the article was dated October 5, 2026.
- Why
- The MoU aims to support regional air connectivity and extend the benefits of the UDAN scheme in West Bengal.
Key facts
- Airports planned
- Four
- Locations
- Purulia, Balurghat, Hasimara and Kalaikunda
- Scheme
- UDAN 2.0
- Signatories
- West Bengal government and Airports Authority of India
- Land provision
- The state government will provide land for development.
- Development oversight
- The Union government and Airports Authority of India will oversee airport development.
- Additional proposal
- Adhikari said the state planned a modern pilot training centre at Behala.
- Other requests
- Adhikari sought more direct flights between Kolkata and the UK and other European countries, and increased services at Andal airport.
Quotes
Suvendu Adhikari
Chief Minister of West Bengal
“The previous state government didn’t give land for the new airports in the state. Not only the airport, several important works like national highway and railway projects remained stuck for years. The previous government didn’t even give land for a second airport in Kolkata.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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