Landing at Durgapur (Andal) Airport in 2026: How to Reach Asansol, Bardhaman and Kolkata When You Haven't Pre-Booked a Cab
By Aarav Sharma (Aarav Sharma covers regional and Tier-2 airport access across India, focusing on the last-mile transport that booking sites never explain.) · Published · 10 min read
Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport at Andal sits in the open countryside between Durgapur and Asansol, with no metro, no airport rail and a thin taxi rank that empties fast after each arrival. This is a practical, ground-truth guide to leaving the terminal by bus, shared cab or app cab and reaching the four places most passengers actually need to be.
Where this airport actually is (and why that matters)
Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (IATA: RDP), almost universally called Durgapur Airport or Andal Airport, sits at Andal, roughly 20-25 km from both Durgapur city centre and Asansol. It is not inside either city. The terminal opens onto a two-lane approach road in semi-rural surroundings, so the convenient assumption that you can walk out and grab a taxi the way you would at Kolkata or Delhi does not hold here.
Flight frequency is modest and clustered, mostly to and from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai depending on the season, with carriers and timings that change every few months. Because arrivals come in bursts, the small pool of waiting taxis is picked clean within 15-20 minutes of a flight landing. If you are on the last bag off the belt, you may walk out to an empty forecourt. Plan as if no cab will be waiting, and treat any taxi you do find as a bonus.
App cabs: patchy, but improving
Ola and Uber both technically operate in the Durgapur-Asansol belt, but coverage at the airport itself is unreliable. Drivers are concentrated in Durgapur city and City Centre, not at Andal, so a request placed from the terminal often shows long ETAs (20-40 minutes) or simply fails to allocate, especially late evening. The honest expectation as of 2026 is that an app cab from the airport is possible but not guaranteed, and surge pricing is common when a flight has just landed.
Two tactics that work in practice: first, open the app while you are still taxiing or at the belt so you can see live driver availability before committing to a plan. Second, if no car allocates from the terminal, share your location with a local prepaid taxi driver and have them drop you at Andal or Durgapur station, from where app cabs are far easier to get. Keep some cash; not every local driver takes UPI reliably, though most now do.
Reaching Durgapur city and City Centre
Durgapur is the closest major destination, about 20-25 minutes by road in light traffic. The prepaid and on-demand taxis at the terminal will quote a flat fare to Durgapur city or the City Centre commercial hub; treat the first quote as a starting point and confirm whether it is per-seat (shared) or whole-cab before getting in. Indicative whole-cab fares to Durgapur run in the few-hundred to roughly a thousand rupee band depending on time of day and your negotiation, so verify on the spot rather than relying on any fixed figure.
If you are travelling light and patient, ask the taxi drivers where the shared autos and Trekkers (shared jeeps) pick up on the main road; these run toward Andal and onward to Durgapur for a small per-seat fare but are not always available right at the terminal and dwindle after dark. For most flyers, a shared cab arranged at the terminal or a whole prepaid taxi is the realistic option.
Getting to Asansol
Asansol lies on the other side of the airport, also around 25-30 km, typically 35-45 minutes by road via the NH. There is no scheduled airport bus dedicated to Asansol, so your choices are a whole prepaid taxi from the terminal, an app cab if one allocates, or a two-step hop: take any taxi or shared vehicle to Andal railway station or onto the national highway, then catch a bus or shared cab heading toward Asansol.
Asansol is a major railway junction, which is useful: if your final destination is well-connected by train, getting yourself to Asansol Junction or even Andal station and continuing by rail can be cheaper and more predictable than a long road taxi, particularly during peak traffic. Check live train timings before you commit, because the time saved depends entirely on the next available service.
Onward to Bardhaman (Purba Bardhaman)
Bardhaman town is roughly 55-65 km from the airport and is best reached in two legs rather than one expensive door-to-door taxi. The efficient route for most people is: airport to Durgapur or Andal station by taxi/shared cab, then Durgapur to Bardhaman by train on the busy Howrah main line, which sees frequent local and express services through the day. The rail leg is short, cheap and avoids GT Road traffic.
If you prefer a single road journey, a whole-cab taxi to Bardhaman is available on negotiation but will cost considerably more and take well over an hour. Confirm the fare in full before departure and, for evening arrivals, fix a price in writing or via the prepaid counter so there is no dispute on arrival.
The long haul to Kolkata: road vs rail
Kolkata is about 170-180 km away, a three-to-four-hour drive depending on traffic on NH19 (the old NH2 / Durgapur Expressway corridor). A point-to-point taxi all the way to Kolkata or the airport is possible to arrange but is expensive and tiring; treat it as a fallback, not a default. Confirm an all-inclusive fare (tolls, any night charge) before you set off and prefer a clearly identified operator over an unmarked car.
For most travellers heading to Kolkata, the smarter move is rail. Durgapur and Andal sit on one of India's busiest trunk routes, with numerous trains to Howrah taking roughly two to three hours. Get yourself to Durgapur or Andal station from the airport, then board a Howrah-bound express or pre-booked reserved service. It is usually faster, far cheaper and more reliable than fighting expressway traffic by car. If you need to compare flight options for a future trip out of Kolkata instead, you can plan that on FlightGPT.
A practical arrival plan that won't strand you
Build your exit plan before you land, not at the empty forecourt. The single most useful step is to phone or message a Durgapur-based taxi operator a day ahead and ask them to have a car at Andal for your flight; local operators are dependable when pre-arranged even if street-hailing is not. If you skip that, head straight off the aircraft to keep your place in the short taxi queue rather than lingering at the belt.
Carry a charged phone and a power bank, keep around a thousand rupees in cash as backup for drivers who balk at UPI late at night, and know the name of your nearest railway station (Durgapur, Andal or Asansol) so you always have a train-based plan B. With those four things sorted, an airport with thin taxi supply and no metro stops being a panic and becomes just a slightly longer transfer.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an airport bus from Durgapur Andal Airport to the city?
There is no dedicated scheduled airport shuttle bus as of 2026. To reach Durgapur, Asansol or Bardhaman you rely on prepaid taxis, shared cabs and Trekkers at the terminal, or you hop to Andal/Durgapur railway station and continue by train or local bus. Confirm options at the terminal on arrival.
Do Ola and Uber work at Durgapur Airport?
Both operate in the Durgapur-Asansol region, but availability at the airport itself is patchy because most drivers are based in Durgapur city. Allocation can take 20-40 minutes or fail, especially at night. Open the app before you land to check live availability, and keep a taxi or train fallback.
What is the cheapest way to get from Durgapur Airport to Kolkata?
Rail is usually cheapest and fastest. Take a taxi or shared cab from the airport to Durgapur or Andal station, then board a Howrah-bound train (roughly 2-3 hours). A direct road taxi all the way to Kolkata is far more expensive and takes 3-4 hours in traffic.
How far is Durgapur Airport from Asansol and how long does it take?
Asansol is about 25-30 km from the airport, typically 35-45 minutes by road. There is no direct airport bus; use a whole-cab taxi, an app cab if one allocates, or reach the highway/Andal station and continue toward Asansol by bus or train.
Should I pre-book a cab before flying into Durgapur?
Yes, it is strongly recommended. The taxi rank is small and empties within 15-20 minutes of an arrival, and app cabs are unreliable from the terminal. Phoning a Durgapur-based taxi operator a day ahead to position a car at Andal for your flight is the most dependable plan.
How do I reach Bardhaman from Durgapur Airport?
The efficient route is two legs: taxi or shared cab to Durgapur/Andal station, then a frequent Howrah-line train to Bardhaman (a short ride). A direct road taxi (about 55-65 km) is possible on negotiation but costs more and takes over an hour. Confirm any taxi fare in full before departing.