Kolkata: The Kolkata-Dhaka service that low-cost carrier Air India Express (AIX) planned to start from Sept 3 went into the hangar following the volatile situation in Bangladesh and escalating tension between the two countries. The resultant slide in air traffic led to several airlines, including Indian carrier IndiGo Airlines and Bangladeshi carriers Biman Bangladesh and US-Bangla Air Airways, cancelling flights on the sector.
"We were keen to start the Kolkata-Dhaka flights and everything was in place, but then the situation deteriorated. Given the current scenario, we can only wait and watch," said AIX managing director Aloke Singh.
The airline proposed to fly six days a week on the sector that, until the beginning of the year, recorded high passenger traffic. Then, Biman Bangladesh, IndiGo, and US-Bangla operated twice daily on the sector, with US-Bangla Airlines also operating a daily flight to the port city of Chittagong from Kolkata. However, the flight count has since reduced drastically, with IndiGo operating two flights on alternative days with one flight in between. Biman Bangladesh cancelled one flight, and US-Bangla Airlines cancelled two flights, one to Dhaka and the lone Chittagong service.
At present, AIX operates 24 flights from Kolkata to 13 destinations daily. Its market share in the Kolkata aviation market is currently 12%.
Notwithstanding the setback on this sector, AIX plans to start daily flights between Kolkata and Kathmandu in March-end or Apr-beginning when the summer schedule gets underway. It will evaluate flight opportunities to South-East Asia, including Bangkok/Phuket in Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi in Vietnam, Singapore, and Colombo. The airline is also exploring flights to CIS countries.
"As our fleet grows, in addition to international sectors, we will add more flights from Kolkata to tier-2/3 cities. From 90 aircraft now, we will have 100 aircraft by March 2025. The fleet will touch 175 planes in three years with the induction of brand new aircraft and the phasing out of some old aircraft," said Singh.
The airline will also increase the number of aircraft that do night halt in Kolkata from seven at present to nine next year. This will allow the carrier to operate more early morning flights out of the city, particularly to the north-east and South-East Asia.
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