A lounge at the Calcutta airport meant for passengers taking chartered flights and private jets and looking for exclusive privileges will not become operational because it has been deemed “unsafe and unviable” by the authorities, officials said.

The 1,000sq m lounge, adjacent to the integrated terminal, was supposed to be a for-hire facility for those passengers who seek exclusivity. It was constructed in 2015 at a cost of Rs 1.6 crore but has been lying defunct since.

An official of the government-run airport said the bureau of civil aviation security had raised concerns about the lounge because of its proximity to some of the parking bays.

According to another official, some other security concerns were raised, too.

A chunk from the ceiling lies on the floor of the lounge The Telegraph picture

“The general aviation lounge was to have a security check-in facility. The passengers who would check into the lounge before boarding a flight were not supposed to go to the security check-in counter and stand in a queue. The lounge was supposed to have an X-ray machine and frisking booth,” airport director Kaushik Bhattacharya said.

“However, Central Industrial Security Force personnel needed to be deployed round the clock there. But because of lack of demand, deploying CISF personnel round the clock was not viable at that time. So, the clearance was not given. The plan to operate the lounge has been shelved.”

The director said the furniture set up at the lounge had been shifted to other facilities on the premises.

Portions of the walls and ceiling of the lounge are coming off because of lack of maintenance, officials said.

When the lounge was built in 2015, it was meant for users to hold private meetings, too. According to the plan, a passenger checking into the lounge can use the conference room and bedroom.

Airport officials said they were not planning to set up a similar facility at another place within the terminal because of lack of demand.

“There is no demand for such a facility at the Calcutta airport. When the lounge was built, a few chambers of commerce had requested for such a facility. But later no one showed any interest,” an official said.

All major private airports in India, including the ones in Mumbai and Delhi, have such a lounge.

“Before the Covid pandemic, the two passenger lounges in the international and domestic sections did not have much footfall,” an official said. “Now, the only lounge that has some demand is the one for VIPs. Politicians coming to Calcutta use that lounge.”

Officials of some of the airlines said they had raised objections about the lounge being built outside the terminal building when it was being constructed.

“We had said it would be difficult to deploy our personnel to take the passengers to that lounge and assist them. But no one had listened then. It was a waste of government money,” said an official of a private airline.

The airport director said the lounge would not be demolished but there was no plan yet on how to use the facility.