Malaysian Airlines to start this December from Kolkata

Good news for investor-friendly West Bengal. If all goes as planned, this December one of the major South East Asian airlines has decided it...

Good news for investor-friendly West Bengal. If all goes as planned, this December one of the major South East Asian airlines has decided it would open its operation from the state capital this December.

The Malaysia Airlines, after a survey in West Bengal Districts, like Bankura, East Midnapore and Sundarbans, decided to operate from Kolkata, ‘‘because these areas have big potential of attracting tourists from Malaysia. ‘‘We have done a survey, and we think we can have the right proportion of tourists from Kualalampur,’’ says Henry Moses, airlines’ North India sales manager.

The high-level delegation from the airlines, comprising Moses and Norzalela Md Din, network development controller (Europe, Australia, New Zealand and China), met the state tourism minister Dinesh Dakua and expects help from the state government in their negotiation with the Airport Authority for a favourable time slot for its flight operation from Kolkata Airport.

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Moses indicated that Union Civil Aviation Ministry has no objection, but a favourable time slot for flight need to be worked out for operation of three direct flights from Kualalampur to Kolkata and Kolkata to Kualalampur. The delegation is meeting the airport authority here tomorrow to workout a time slot.

Though the Malaysia Airlines wouldn’t spell out the package in terms of fare right now, it says: ‘‘We can assure the tourists or the commercial passengers that a competitive rate for this route at par with other airlines would be fixed. The flight will have no stoppage in between.’’

Incidentally, the airlines is already operating from other big metros of India and in Kolkata it would begin operation sometime from this December or early January next year, according to Moses.

Speaking to The Indian Express, state tourism minister Dinesh Dakua said: ‘‘The state government would also hold talks with Airport Authority to help airlines get a favourable time slot for operation.’’