All flights operations – incoming and outgoing — at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata have been cancelled on July 25 and July 29 because of the bi-weekly lockdown restrictions announced by the West Bengal administration, airport officials said.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has already cancelled flights coming to Kolkata from six coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-hit cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur and Ahmedabad — until July 31, on the request of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.
The state-administration has announced a 24-hour state-wide complete lockdown on at least two days every week, the first of which was enforced on Thursday (July 23).
Even though flights operated on Thursday, all flight operations will be cancelled from the next two lockdown days such as July 25 and 29.
The following week only one-day lockdown will be enforced on July 29, and the government is likely to announce the date of the second bi-weekly restrictions on Monday.
The lockdown dates for every week would be announced on Monday, state government officials have said.
The decision was taken following the apprehension of community spread of Covid-19 outbreak in some parts of the state amid a spike in the daily cases of the contagion.
West Bengal has reported 51,757 Covid-19 cases until Thursday, which recorded the highest single-day spike at 2,436 fresh cases.
The death toll has risen to 1,255, as 34 fresh fatalities were reported on Thursday.
