Nabanna: The Bengal government on Friday expressed its reservations about making land available for a second Calcutta airport but stated its eagerness to have one, sources said.

Government officials at a meeting in Nabanna with representatives of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) explained the difficulties in acquiring land on the fringes of Calcutta. The city is surrounded by fertile agricultural land that yields produce thrice a year, providing livelihood to a large number of families.

Chief secretary Moloy De chaired the meeting.

According to officials, a "full-fledged" airport needs around 5,000 acres. Sources said state government officials told the AAI representatives that identifying and acquiring that much land around the city would be a challenging task.

"The meeting was satisfying as both the state government and the civil aviation ministry told each other that the city badly needed a second airport," an official who attended the meeting said.

Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had on his last visit to the city on December 5 underlined the need for a second airport. The Centre, he had said, was keen on building the airport provided the state made land available.

The second airport, insiders in the ministry said, was needed because the one in Dum Dum would soon get saturated.

"The state government referred to its initiatives in building an airport in Andal and suggested alternatives to Calcutta for the proposed second airport," said another officer who attended the meeting. "It's just a beginning and we don't expect to arrive at a consensus overnight. Discussions will continue."

The NSCB International Airport, in Dum Dum, can handle over 30 flights an hour but currently handles only around 17. The airport has two runways but both cannot be used simultaneously.

Andal, around 200km from Calcutta, can meet the demand but airlines need to be willing to operate out of this greenfield project. So far the response has not been too encouraging.

The meeting also discussed the proposed expansion of the Bagdogra airport, on the outskirts of Siliguri.

The AAI has said it needs 100 acres for the expansion but the state government has so far said it can at best arrange for 50.