Shafiullah Sumon:
Air India Express, the Indian low-cost airline, will commence operations from Kolkata and Chennai to Dhaka on September 3, offering fares more than 25 percent lower than other carriers on these routes.
Air India Express, a subsidiary of Indian flag carrier Air India, will operate daily flights on the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka and Dhaka-Chennai-Dhaka routes. Promotional one-way fares will start at Taka 6760 for Dhaka-Kolkata and Taka 10,423 for Dhaka-Chennai, with return fares beginning at Taka 11764 and Taka 17160 respectively.
“This fare is 25%-30% less than other airlines currently operating in these two destinations,” said Shohag Hossain, Managing Director of Rhythm Group (MAAS Travel & Tours Ltd), the local General Sales Agent (GSA) for the airline.
Hossain stated that the competitive pricing is expected to benefit business travelers, tourists, and medical patients, facilitating increased passenger traffic between Bangladesh and India.
Air India Express plans to expand its operations to other destinations from Dhaka and introduce flights from Chittagong and Sylhet airports, he added.
Air India Express will use new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for the Dhaka routes, featuring Business Class—currently unavailable in any other budget carrier. The airline offers leather seats with extra legroom, hot meal options, special equipment carry options, additional seating options, and various other add-ons.
“This will be the first ever budget carrier with the service of a legacy carrier,” Hossain said.
The airline operates over 2000 flights weekly to 45 destinations across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. With 59 aircraft in its fleet, Air India Express has 161 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 10 aircraft on order, adding an average of four new aircraft to its fleet each month.
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