Calcutta, July 4: Business class travellers forced to share cattle class facilities at Calcutta airport can look forward to choosing from 10 luxurious lounges spread across an entire floor once the much-awaited makeover is complete.

“The executive lounges will be on the fourth floor of the second-level departure arena of the integrated terminal.”

“ Six of the lounges will be in the domestic portion of the terminal and four on the international side. The floor will also have two food courts for other passengers,” airport director B.P. Sharma said.

The number of business class travellers flying out of Calcutta has increased over the past couple of years since the downturn.

On an average, nearly 175 people now fly business class from the city airport every day.

“In the past year alone, there has been a 10 per cent growth in the number of business class passengers,” said an official of Emirates, which operates two flights a day to and from Dubai.

The lack of a proper lounge at the city airport often gives business class travellers in transit a reason to snigger at the city even before exploring it.

For those from Calcutta, the existing facilities — or the lack of them — are a source of embarrassment in front of colleagues from other cities.

“The lone lounge is nowhere near international standard. If a lounge does not have a bar and restaurant, what’s the point?” demanded city-based frequent flier Manish Sharma.

Airlines officials said the existing business class lounge in the international terminal seemed to be designed to keep fliers away.

“To access the business class lounge, a passenger needs to come out of the check-in arena after getting the boarding card. No other metro airport has such a system,” an official said.

In the makeover plan, the domestic and international departure arenas have one food court each on the fourth floor.

There are two food courts on the arrival floor. “Passengers of airlines that are members will be able to enter,” Sharma said.

The process of seeking applications from airlines will start this October.

On June 1, a presentation on the business class lounges was made before representatives of various airlines.

An airline official said the lounges in the presentation looked of “top international standard”, with glass walls offering a view of the airfield and the check-in arena a floor below.

The food courts on either end of the floor would also have glass walls offering a view of the airfield.

Passengers will be required to enter the third floor, or the first-level departure lounge, for check-in and security check.

From there, they will proceed to the lounges and food courts on the second-level departure arena.