Kolkata, 26 March (H.S.) : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s flight faced a temporary disruption on Thursday afternoon as it was unable to land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport due to severe storm and heavy rainfall. The aircraft remained airborne for a period before landing safely once weather conditions improved.

Airport sources said adverse weather, including strong winds and intense rainfall, made landing unsafe, forcing the aircraft to stay in the air as a precautionary measure. Flight operations at the airport were also temporarily suspended for around 20 minutes to ensure safety.

The Chief Minister was returning to Kolkata after attending election campaign rallies. She had addressed public meetings in Pandaveswar in Paschim Bardhaman and Dubrajpur in Birbhum earlier in the day. Her private jet had departed from Andal Airport at 3:39 pm and was scheduled to land in Kolkata around 4:00 pm.

During the disruption, the aircraft circled in the air while awaiting clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC). Officials stated that multiple landing attempts were made, but each had to be aborted due to deteriorating weather conditions. Authorities were also monitoring the fuel status of the aircraft as part of standard safety protocols.

The situation lasted for nearly half an hour before conditions stabilised. Around 5:00 pm, airport officials confirmed that the Chief Minister’s flight had landed safely.

Officials emphasised that the disruption was purely weather-related and that all necessary precautions were taken to ensure the safety of passengers and flight operations. Following the landing, normal flight services at the airport resumed.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh