West Bengal (WB) has announced plans to build three new airports across the state, including one near Kolkata, raising prospects of improved regional air connectivity.

WB Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta, presenting the state's first full budget under the newly elected BJP government on Monday, said new airports would be constructed in Purulia and Malda, while a third facility would come up near Kolkata to ease mounting pressure on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

The budget also earmarked land acquisition for expanding existing airfields at Hasimara in north Bengal and Kalaikunda in West Medinipur.

Experts say an airport at Malda, bordering Bangladesh, can not only benefit the district but the neighbouring areas of North and South Dinajpur, Murshidabad and parts of Bihar, and improve connectivity for cargo and passengers.

The Purulia airport is expected to attract investment and boost tourism in the industrially and commercially promising district.

The proposed second airport for Kolkata has not yet been assigned a location or a timeline, but has attracted interest from industry and transport analysts.

The announcements reflect an ambition to make West Bengal a major aviation hub in eastern India, a shift that could reshape air travel patterns across the broader Bengal delta region, analysts say.

Source: Hindustan Times