Kolkata could soon join a select group of Indian metro regions with multiple commercial airports, as the West Bengal government has revived a long-pending proposal to build a greenfield airport near Kalyani, roughly 50 kilometres from the city.

The announcement was made during the presentation of the state Budget for 2026-27, with the Bengal government saying the new airport would be developed to improve regional connectivity and support future economic expansion. Once completed, the proposed facility would function alongside Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, giving the Kolkata metropolitan area a second aviation hub.

The project marks a major shift in West Bengal’s position on the issue. In earlier years, the proposal for a second airport near Kolkata had faced resistance under Mamata Banerjee’s government, which had objected to the land acquisition required for such a project. The concern then was that acquiring a large land parcel would displace local residents. With a BJP-led government now in office in the state, the Kalyani airport proposal appears to have been pushed back onto the priority list.

If the project moves ahead after central and regulatory clearances, Kolkata will become the third metropolitan region in India to have a multi-airport system.

Delhi was the first major urban region in the country to move in that direction. For years, the National Capital Region depended mainly on Indira Gandhi International Airport, before commercial operations began at the civil enclave in Hindon in 2019. More recently, the region added another major aviation facility with the opening of the Noida International Airport at Jewar.

Mumbai followed as the second metro region preparing for a multi-airport setup. With Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport operating under heavy capacity pressure, Navi Mumbai International Airport is being developed to ease the load and add substantial passenger and cargo capacity.

The Kalyani proposal would now place Kolkata in the same league, making it eastern India’s first multi-airport urban region.

The case for a second airport in and around Kolkata has been building for some time. The city’s existing airport handled close to 2.1 crore passengers in the 2024-25 financial year, placing it among the busiest in the country. As traffic continues to grow and eastern India sees rising demand from tourism, trade and logistics, planners have increasingly argued that one airport may not be enough in the years ahead.

A new airport near Kalyani could help spread passenger traffic more evenly and reduce long-term congestion at Dum Dum. It could also improve air access for districts north of Kolkata and strengthen links with nearby economic corridors. Kalyani’s location is seen as strategically useful because it sits along important road and rail routes and is relatively close to the Bangladesh border, adding a possible logistics advantage as well.

The idea of creating a second airport for Kolkata has surfaced multiple times in the past, with locations such as Andal, Kalyani and parts of South 24 Parganas being considered. However, concerns over land acquisition, project viability and regulatory approvals repeatedly stalled progress.

Back in 2022, Mamata Banerjee had publicly opposed the Centre’s push for a second airport, arguing that the required land could not be acquired by uprooting people. She had also accused the BJP of turning the issue into a political battle and invoked memories of land protests in Singur and Nandigram.

The latest budget announcement suggests the current state government under Suvendu Adhikari is willing to move ahead with the Kalyani option despite those earlier concerns.

If approved, the project will not only reshape aviation infrastructure in eastern India but also signal Kolkata’s growing role as a major metropolitan and economic centre with rising transport needs.