Mamata's growing clout in Delhi may get Kolkata a direct flight to London

She had invited several pvt airlines as well as Air India to start service. While pvt airlines said the route wasn't commercially viable, Air India kept on delaying the matter

Mamata Banerjee's mammoth victory in Assembly elections may help Kolkata, the only Indian metro city without a direct flight to Europe, get a regular Air India flight to London.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who was present at the swearing-in ceremony of the West Bengal chief minister on Friday, has said he would ask Air India to re-introduce a direct flight between Kolkata and London, which was discontinued because it was commercially unfeasible.

"The CM has asked the Union minister to look into the matter and he promised that he will ask the state-run carrier to consider the proposal," a top state government official told Business Standard. Air India had withdrawn its direct flight between Kolkata and an European city in 2007.
 

The assurance came after Banerjee personally requested Raju to look into the matter. And the Civil Aviation Minister was quick to respond positively. Interestingly, this is not the first time when Banerjee has sought a direct flight between Kolkata and cities in Europe. In her previous term as chief minister, she had invited several private airlines as well as Air India to start the service. While private airlines, after conducting feasibility study, said the route wasn't commercially viable, Air India kept on delaying the matter. Many analysts are seeing Raju's response as a sign of Mamata Banerjee's rising clout in Delhi after the Trinamool Congress won 211 seats in the 294-strong West Bengal Assembly.

With Banerjee's rising stature in Indian politics and the Centre's efforts to seek her support in the Rajya Sabha for getting crucial Bills cleared, sources said West Bengal government might be able to get go-ahead for some crucial projects in the coming months. "The CM wants rapid development of West Bengal. She has gone to the extent of offering a complete waiver on Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) tax," the state government official added.

But aviation industry is sceptic about commercial success of such a route. "If any airline has to fly to Europe from Kolkata, which is an eight-hour journey, it has to operate a wide-body aircraft. Our study suggests it will be difficult to get even 60 per cent occupancy," said a top official of a private airline. The state government had earlier approached five European airlines - Lufthansa, Germanwings, KLM, Air France and Thomson Airways. Jet Airways had also conveyed its inability to operate in a low-yield market.

Kolkata Airport director Atul Dixit claimed such a route was completely viable. "Our data suggests there are enough passengers flying to European countries via Delhi," he said.

Kolkata's international airport doesn't have any direct flight to the Europe or the US as the last such route, Kolkata-Frankfurt, was discontinued by Lufthansa in 2011. British Airways had earlier withdrawn its Kolkata-London flight in 2008. Of the remaining 17 international routes, Qatar Airlines and Emirates fly to the Middle East, while the rest operate between Kolkata and South and Southeast Asian countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore and Thailand.