The Unearthing of forgotten history of seaplane operations on the Ganges near Kolkata.
Research has highlighted Kolkata’s little-known past as a hub for seaplane operations between the late 1930s-1940s. A base was established near Bali on the Hooghly River between Dakshineswar and Uttarpara towns.
Imperial Airways began airmail services from Kolkata to destinations like Australia via this route. Seaplanes would land on water surpassing Willingdon Bridge.
Records show the area was formally declared a customs aerodrome in 1937. During peak times, multiple flying boats arrived and anchored on the Ganges daily within India and abroad.
The base played a key role in World War 2 as well. In mid-1946, Sarat Chandra Bose and others took a flying boat from here to defend INA officers in the Rangoon trials.
However, seaplanes lost popularity soon after. The Bali base was officially shut down in 1949 when the last flying boat departed for Britain.
Through digitized archival documents, the independent researcher has brought to light this forgotten chapter of civil aviation. The former base site now lies abandoned contrasting the region’s glittering role in early transcontinental air travel.
While modest runways replaced seaplanes elsewhere, this unique piece of aviation history had been unknown until recent findings sparked discussion on Kolkata’s rich transport legacy.
