Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (VECC) is the principal gateway to Kolkata and eastern India, located at Dum Dum on the northeastern edge of the city. One of India's oldest airfields, it dates back to the early 1900s and has grown into a major hub with parallel runways, full ILS coverage and a busy mix of domestic and international traffic, making it a significant destination for airline-focused simulator pilots.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport serves Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, and is the main aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India. Operated by the Airports Authority of India, it sits at Dum Dum on the northern outskirts of the city and handles a large volume of domestic and international traffic, including flights to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. For a simulator pilot, it offers a busy, historically rich airport with parallel hard runways and modern instrument approaches, set against the backdrop of one of India's oldest civil aerodromes.
The airport lies at Dum Dum, close to Jessore Road, around 16 km from central Kolkata (Dalhousie Square) via the Howrah Bridge. It is one of only two international airports in West Bengal, the other being Bagdogra, and is the busiest airfield in the eastern part of the country. Air traffic services are provided by Kolkata Approach and Kolkata Control, reflecting the airport's role as a major controlled hub within Indian airspace.
The airport has two parallel physical runways. The primary runway, 01R/19L, is 11,929 ft long, has a hard surface, is lit, and is equipped with ILS. The secondary runway, 01L/19R, comprises a 9,288 ft hard, lit strip on the 01L end and a 10,450 ft hard, lit strip with ILS on the 19R end. Field elevation is 16 ft.
Radio services at Kolkata are extensive, reflecting its status as a major hub. Kolkata Tower operates on 118.1 MHz, with Ground on 121.9 MHz. Kolkata Approach is available on 127.9 MHz, with Kolkata Control/Approach Control on 132.45 MHz and Radar (Feeder/Area) on 127.3 MHz. ATIS is broadcast on 126.4 MHz. Area control frequencies include 119.3 MHz, 120.575 MHz, 132.35 MHz and 133.75 MHz for Kolkata Radar/Control, with Oceanic services also on 132.45 MHz. Instrument approaches are available, with the primary runway's 01R approach long equipped with CAT III-B ILS, and the 19L approach upgraded to CAT III-B in November 2025 to assist pilots in poor visibility and winter fog conditions.
The airport traces its origins to the early 1900s as the Calcutta Aerodrome, beginning as an open ground beside the Royal Artillery Armoury at Dum Dum, and is counted among the oldest airports in India, having opened on 21 December 1924. KLM began scheduled stops there in 1924 as part of its Amsterdam to Batavia route, the same year a Royal Air Force aircraft called during the first round-the-world air expedition. The Bengal Flying Club was opened at the aerodrome in February 1929 by Sir Stanley Jackson, Governor of Bengal, and the airfield was made usable year-round from 1930. Air Orient's Paris-Saigon route and Imperial Airways' London-Australia route via Calcutta, begun in 1933, drew further airline traffic, and pioneering flights including Amelia Earhart's passed through in 1937. During the Second World War, the airport played a strategic role: in 1942 the United States Army Air Forces' 7th Bombardment Group flew B-24 Liberator bombers on combat missions over Burma from the field, which also served as a cargo aerial port for the Air Transport Command and as a communications centre for the Tenth Air Force. After the war, Calcutta became a destination for the de Havilland Comet, the world's first jet-powered passenger aircraft, on a BOAC route to London, and in 1964 Indian Airlines introduced India's first domestic jet service using Caravelle aircraft on the Calcutta-Delhi route. Between the 1940s and 1960s the airport was served by numerous major carriers including Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Pan Am, Qantas, Swissair and SAS, though several withdrew services amid the political unrest of the 1960s and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which brought a surge of refugees and disease to the city. In 1975 the airport opened India's first dedicated cargo terminal. The 1990s brought renewed growth with the arrival of airlines such as Jet Airways and Air Sahara; a new domestic terminal, Terminal 2, opened in 1995, redesignating the existing building as the international Terminal 1, and the airport was renamed in honour of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Airports Council International named it the best improved airport in the Asia-Pacific region in 2014 and 2015.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport remains the leading air hub of eastern and northeastern India, handling around 22 million passengers annually and serving as a hub or base for several carriers including Air India Express, Blue Dart Aviation, IndiGo and Alliance Air, and an operating base for SpiceJet. It has two parallel runways in active use, the primary runway 01R/19L handling around 35 movements per hour and the secondary runway 01L/19R around 15 per hour. Recent infrastructure upgrades include the November 2025 activation of CAT III-B ILS on the 19L approach, complementing the existing CAT III-B capability on 01R, improving operations during winter fog.
