State keen on resuming direct flights to London

Kolkata: The state government is keen on holding a discussion in the Assembly during its Winter Session starting from November 25 on its longstanding demand for resuming direct flights to London and other countries under European Unions from Kolkata.

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is expected to bring a proposal and a discussion on the proposal will take place in the House on November 27. State is expected to push forward its demand and urge the Centre to take steps so that the direct flight services from Kolkata. The cities like Delhi, Mumbai, even Hyderabad and Bangalore have direct flight services to Europe whereas in Kolkata, the direct flight was stopped many years ago.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had urged the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to resume direct flights between Kolkata and London, more than a decade after they were discontinued. The Chief Minister had stressed the importance of resuming flight services to Europe during the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) in the past. She had pointed out that resumption of direct flight services with Europe might bring business opportunities as well.

The state government has been pursuing this for more than the last ten years. Air India had started a direct flight between Kolkata and London in 2005. The services were, however, discontinued in September 2008 because of poor load factor. British airways, too, moved out of the sector in March 2009.