Wednesday, February 1 2006 17:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Flight operations at the N S C Bose International airport here was disrupted today(Feb 1, 2006) with the Air Traffic Control issuing a notice that flights could not be operated after Airport Authority of India employees joined the country-wide agitation against 'privatisation' of New Delhi and Mumbai airports.

A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has been issued by ATC as per which no flight can take-off or land at the Kolkata airport, an Indian Airlines source at the airport said. The move by ATC disrupted air operations from Kolkata airport in the afternoon after most of the morning flights had operated on schedule.

The ATC notice was issued after more than 2000 AAI employees joined the against the government move to modernise the New Delhi and Mumbai airports with private participation.

Indian Airlines sources said 14 of its flights operated from the airport in the morning before 11:00 am, but none afterwards. A Jet Airways source said that its Bangalore-Kolkata flight, which was scheduled to land at Kolkata airport at 12:25, had to be diverted to Guwahati as it did not get clearance from the ATC.

The flight is expected to return to Kolkata in the evening, the sources said.

A number of other fights belonging to Indian Airlines, renamed Indian recently, as well as private operators were stranded at the airport due to the notice by ATC, a source at the airport said.

Communications at the airport was also badly hit as there was nobody to man the telephones.

Meanwhile, slogan-shouting AAI employees demonstrated outside the terminal building with some left leaders like CPI(M) MP Amitava Nandy joining them to provide moral support.