Cyclone Amphan (pronounced as Um-Pun), that tore through eastern India and Bangladesh on Wednesday, May 20, severely damaged Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.
Visuals from the site, which are available all over the social media, show flooded tarmac, water-logged runway, collapsed hangars and few damaged airplanes. The parked aircraft were seen in knee-deep water.
All operations at the airport were shut until 0500 hours today. However, relief flights and cargo operations have recommenced from this afternoon.
The airport is facing difficulty in pumping out the water from the flooded portion due to the difference in water level from outside the airport premises.
The restoration work at the airport needs to be fast-tracked, otherwise, it will hinder the resumption of domestic flight services at the airport, which is scheduled to start from May 25, 2020.
The catastrophe has claimed at least 12 lives in West Bengal.
