Kolkata Airport suspends flights as cyclone Remal approaches

Flight operations at Kolkata Airport will be halted for 21 hours starting at 12 pm on May 26, continuing until 9 am on May 27, in anticipation of Cyclone Remal's impact on West Bengal.

The decision to suspend flights was made after a meeting between Kolkata airport authorities and key stakeholders. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Kolkata on May 26 and 27, signaling very heavy rain between 11 cm and 20 cm. A red alert, indicating over 20 cm of rain in 24 hours, has been issued for the coastal districts.

Cyclone Remal, a low-pressure system that developed over the Bay of Bengal, has intensified and is expected to make landfall between West Bengal’s Sagar Island and Bangladesh’s Khepupara around midnight on Sunday. The IMD predicts extremely heavy rainfall in coastal West Bengal and north Odisha on May 26 and 27.

A storm surge up to 1.5 meters is expected to flood low-lying coastal areas during the landfall. Fishermen have been advised to avoid the north Bay of Bengal until the morning of May 27 due to hazardous conditions.

The IMD has issued a red alert for South and North 24 Parganas, forecasting heavy to very heavy rain with wind speeds of 80-90 kmph, gusting up to 100 kmph. An orange alert is in place for Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, and Purba Medinipur districts, with expectations of heavy rain and similar wind speeds.

Remal is the first pre-monsoon cyclone of the season in the Bay of Bengal, and its arrival has prompted significant precautions across the region.