BY A STAFF REPORTER: There is an unofficial advisory for flyers. If you have booked your airline ticket to travel out of Kolkata on October 24 evening or on the morning of next day then it is preferable to cancel it. The Kolkata airport authority has not taken a final call on whether to shut down the airport for a few hours as cyclone Dana makes a landfall but then if cross winds are at a speed of around 70 kilometres an hour then it will be difficult for the aircraft to take off or land. Speaking to ANM News, airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria mentioned that they are monitoring IMD reports on cyclone Dana before taking a final decision. According to Airport authority sources, there is a likelihood of flights departing and arriving on and after 6 PM on October 24 till before10 AM on October 25 getting affected by the after effects of the cyclone. Airport authority officials held a series of meetings with officers of different departments and representatives of different airlines to deliberate on the manner in which to deal with the passengers of the cancelled flights.
``There will be a big backlog if the airport operations are shut and the airlines have to deal with it. However safety of the aircraft and passengers are first priority and in case of natural calamity there are hardly any options,'' an airport official said.