Calcutta, July 4: An airstrip in Cooch Behar lying defunct for over a decade is set to become Bengal’s third airport.

The new facility, around 710 km from Calcutta, will handle daily flights operated by Air Deccan to start with.

“The airline has proposed daily flights between Cooch Behar and Calcutta. It also expects good traffic from places like Balurghat, Bagdogra, the Bhutan border, Assam and the north-eastern states,” said S.P.S. Bakshi, the officiating regional executive director of the Airports Authority of India.

Bakshi met chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb this afternoon.

Bhattacharjee said the Cooch Behar airport would be operational “soon” and that the government was also discussing modern-isation of Calcutta airport with the authority.

“We’re finalising detailed plans for the modernisation of Calcutta airport. We’re committed to upgrade this airport (to bring it) on a par with other international airports,” Bakshi said.

Airports authority chairman K. Ramalingam will be in Calcutta next week to thrash out the details.

The chief minister had indicated at meetings with the chambers of commerce earlier that he was not against private players assisting modernisation of the airport, though the CPM had opposed private participation.

Today, Bhattacharjee told Bakshi he was not keen on private parties entering the fray, signalling a falling in line with the party.

The airports authority and the state would spend Rs 25 crore on the Cooch Behar makeover. The date for the new start has been fixed on August 15, but it could be deferred if encroachments are not demolished by then.

The airports authority will extend, widen and repair the runway and the tarmac and erect a boundary wall. Spread over 200 acres, it will have a 3,700-ft runway with parking space for three aircraft with seating capacity of 50 passengers each.

An official said the new airport would have modern booking counters and passenger lounges.