2 min readKolkataMar 26, 2026 07:07 PM IST
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s flight had to circle the skies for more than an hour on Thursday evening as heavy rain and thunderstorms prevented it from landing at Kolkata airport. Airport sources said the aircraft faced significant difficulties landing amid a severe thunderstorm.
Banerjee, who had completed her election campaign, departed from Andal for Kolkata in a small private jet. The flight took off from Andal airport at 3.39 pm and was scheduled to land at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport around 4 pm.
Airport sources said that the pilot attempted to land several times. At one point, the intensity of the storm decreased slightly, and the plane approached the runway, but the plan was aborted as the rain intensified again.
“Due to adverse weather conditions, the chief minister’s flight has been unable to land at Kolkata airport. As a precautionary measure, flight operations at the airport have been temporarily suspended for approximately 20 minutes,” an airport official said earlier.
The aircraft reportedly attempted to land at the Behala Flying Club at least three times before turning back toward the main airport.
Banerjee began her district-wise election campaign on Wednesday. On Thursday, she held public rallies in Pandaveswar in Paschim Bardhaman district and Dubrajpur in Birbhum. She was returning to Kolkata after the Dubrajpur rally when the weather took a sudden turn.
A stage had been set up for the chief minister at the airport so she could brief the media upon arrival. However, the storm destroyed the structure.
