Bagdogra airport to install sanitary napkin vending machines

Representational image

KOLKATA: The Bagdogra airport in Darjeeling district will soon have sanitary napkin dispensing machines at its terminal, a senior Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said today.

The facility would be available at ladies toilets in the airport at the end of this month and the cost of each napkin will be Rs 5, Director of Bagdogra Airport Rakish R Sahay said.

"The availability of sanitary napkins inside the terminal building will ensure comfort to women passengers and promote hygienic practices. It will also help address the deep-rooted stigma attached to menstruation," the Director of Bagdogra Airport, Rakish R Sahay, told PTI.

The AAI first installed sanitary napkin vending machines at Indore airport in 2017 and then in various other airports, Sahay said adding that the initiative was widely appreciated by women passengers.

The Bagdogra airport handles approximately 7,000 passengers daily and the footfall is expected to cross 20 lakh during the entire 2017-2018 fiscal, he said.

Sanitary napkin vending machines were made available to the women passengers at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport recently in Kolkata recently.