Taking advantage of a tax rebate on aviation turbine fuel of the West Bengal government, low-cost airline SpiceJet today announced a number of new flight services from the city.
State Finance Minister Amit Mitra said under a new state government policy, any additional or new flight from Kolkata would attract a 15-per cent tax on aviation turbine fuel, the lowest among all the metros.
"The rate is 30 per cent but we have decreased it to 15 per cent. In Delhi, it is 20 per cent and in Mumbai, it is 25 per cent," he told reporters here.
"This is an opportunity of window for lower taxes. You get competitive advantage," Mitra said.
After a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said they would start new flight services to Silchar, Aizawl, Guwahati, Gorakhpur and Vizag from the city starting October 4, just ahead of the Durga Puja festivals.
From December, the airline would start daily direct flight services from Kolkata to Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh, he added.
"We are exploring options of flights to Yangon, Dubai and Sharjah. We will start a second flight to Bangkok in November and another to Jaipur in the near future," Singh said, adding that the airline has seen a "successful turnaround" from the verge of being closed down two years ago.
He also urged the chief minister to request the Centre to implement an old government notification which says small aircraft, with less than 50 seats, will be exempted from landing charges.
"This is not being implemented in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. The number of flights can be increased if it is implemented," Singh said.
Banerjee said she would write a letter immediately to the authorities as "connectivity" should increase.
She also requested the airline to consider connecting the eastern metropolis to Europe with direct flights.
"The government will give all possible support in this regard. Our passengers have to go to other cities to go to the UK, France and Germany. You will get a lot of passengers. Our students also go to Europe," she told Singh.
Stating that Bengal is the gateway to north-east India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and even the ASEAN countries, she said Andal was not getting flights.
"It is close to the industrial belt of Durgapur, Asansol, Birbhum and also the neighbouring state of Jharkhand. You should review the situation," Banerjee said.
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