The lack of baby strollers at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is causing significant inconvenience to travelling parents, highlighting a service gap compared to other major airports both in India and abroad that have long provided this basic amenity.

Unlike airports in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, the Calcutta airport offers no complimentary baby strollers, forcing parents to carry their children throughout the terminal.

“In Calcutta, there are no baby strollers provided by the airport authorities. Passengers who bring their own strollers use those, while many passengers look for one, but we have to say there is none,” said an official from an international airline. “There are regular demands for such strollers.”

The contrast with other airports is stark. The Bengaluru airport recently introduced 26 baby strollers across its two terminals, advertising the service on social media: “For the comfort and convenience of the little explorers travelling through the airport, we provide complimentary baby stroller/carrier service at check-in and also post security-check.”

“The strollers and the carriers allow parents to navigate the airport with ease. They can be conveniently dropped off at the gates before boarding the flight,” it said.

An official at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, said Terminals I and II each have 13 strollers.

The Mumbai airport has offered the service since 2014, when they first introduced the service. In 2017, it deployed over 150 baby stroller-cum-shopping trolleys across terminals. All major international airports like Changi (Singapore), Dubai and Bangkok all provide strollers for passengers.

The problem extends beyond just availability. Parents who bring their own strollers face additional frustration at the Calcutta airport, where the equipment is often returned much later than needed.

Actress Koneenica Banerjee experienced this first-hand while returning from Bangkok with her daughter, elderly father and uncle. Despite bringing her own stroller for
hygiene reasons, she had to carry her daughter for 35 minutes after landing.

“After getting off the plane, the airport personnel never hand over the stroller immediately,” said Banerjee, who has undergone spine surgery. “The stroller was finally handed over to me 35 minutes later at the baggage belt when all the luggage had arrived. I have undergone spine surgery and it was difficult and painful to carry my daughter.”

She noted the contrast with Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where “when they saw my baby was sleeping in the stroller, the authorities fast-tracked our immigration clearance”.

While boarding the aircraft at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, she had handed over the stroller to the airline personnel.

Park Street resident Sharna Choithramani, who frequently travels with her four-year-old son Mivaan, echoed the frustration. “At other airports like Mumbai, the baby strollers are visible and so I can use them. But at the Calcutta airport, we can’t find any,” she said.

Airport officials have acknowledged the issue. “We’ll be buying baby strollers soon for the convenience of passengers,” Calcutta airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said on Thursday, though no specific timeline was provided.

Regarding the delayed return of personal strollers, a Calcutta airport official said this falls under airline responsibility, adding that “there are security protocols for international flights”.

The situation underscores how the Calcutta airport continues to lag behind national and international standards in providing family-friendly amenities, despite handling significant passenger traffic.