2 new airlines for Kolkata

Air activity intensifies over eastern region

Jetstar Airways, Australia's new low cost carrier, and Cosmic Air, the leading Nepalese carrier, are set to launch flights in Kolkata from July, said Arnab Mukherjee, chairman of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), West Bengal chapter.

The Impulse brand purchased by Qantas has been reircarnated as Jetstar Airways and a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas.

It will operate flights from Kolkata to Singapore and operations should commence by the month of July, Mukherjee said.

Nepal's Cosmic Air, which currently flies to the remote regions of Nepal, already has flights to New Delhi and will start its thrice weekly Kolkata-Kathmandu flight by July 17 subject to permissions.

Cosmic already has two flights a day to New Delhi but for the Kolkata leg will need three flights a week to achieve viability, he indicated.

Mukherjee said this on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat to promote Gujarat as a destination for tourists from West Bengal.

Thai Airways has recently increased flight frequency from three to five flights a week, while Singapore Airlines has stepped up frequency to four weekly.

Air India, for the first time in its history, has launched a flight nonstop from Kolkata to London thrice a week.

Mukherjee said commission from international air ticketing for travel agents would be eliminated soon and ticketing costs would fall.

"The commission was 11 per cent prior to 1990, then 9 per cent till 1997 and then became 7 per cent till 2005 before falling to 5 per cent in May 2005 - the day is near when the commission will be scrapped altogether," noted Mukherjee.

The commission will be replaced by a marketing fee charged by travel agents at a rate lower than commission.

This has happened globally following the advent of internet or e-ticketing, the low cost carrier challenge and growth of airline portals, explained Mukherjee.

Travel agents would have to redefine their role and focus on surface or ground travel, Mukherjee said.