On Wednesday night, a fire started in the domestic departure area of the Kolkata airport, forcing both passengers and staff to evacuate the area. According to the airport and police officials, there were no casualties, but many aircraft that were scheduled to depart from the city were delayed.
Arriving flights were unaffected. However, an airport official claimed that passengers could not get off the plane until the ruckus inside the terminal cooled down.
At 9:12 p.m., a fire started at check-in gateway D, close to counter 16. An airport representative stated, "The check-in portal was closed, so there were no passengers there."
The fire was put out at 9.40 p.m. Over eight fire tenders were activated.
A major portion of the terminal was covered with smoke.
“There was a minor fire and smoke in the check-in area portal D at 9.12 pm and fully extinguished by 9.40 pm,” a tweet by the airport authorities said.
According to airport sources, 18 aircraft from Calcutta were held up at 10.45 p.m. for an average of an hour due to a slowed check-in process.
The new terminal building's opening was in 2013, and according to several airport staff members, they have never seen a fire at the airport since then.
“The fire has been doused now. We are trying to ensure normality at the airport,” Bidhannagar police commissioner Gaurav Sharma said on Wednesday night.
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