Air India flight to Bangkok from May

Kolkata: Air India is planning to operate a direct flight from Kolkata to Bangkok from May this year. To begin with, the 180-seater Airbus A320 Neo (narrow body airliner) will travel thrice a week.

The development was announced by an Air India official on the sidelines of Destination East- tourism summit organised by CII in Kolkata.

“Air India already has started flight from Kolkata to Singapore. Now we are planning to commence services to Bangkok,” Anil Mehta,  OSD to Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani said.

The official added that AI is keen to start flight operations from Kolkata to Sikkim, once the infrastructure for the airport is ready. “The airport will be ready by 2018 and we are very much ready to start flights to Sikkim too,” the official said.

The official, however, made it clear that its plan of operating its second flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra has been shelved at this juncture. “We have been interested in adding another flight to Bagdogra but still there are issues related to night landing,” he said.

AI also ruled out possibilities of a direct flight to London from the city airport at this point of time. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has spoken to civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on several occasions urging him to take up the matter with Air India so that there is a direct flight to London.

Air India had withdrawn its direct flight between Kolkata and an European city in 2007, citing “commercial infeasibility”.

An Air Asia official, who was also present at the summit, said that the private airliner has plans to commence flights from Kolkata to Bali in Indonesia by this year.