BA to snap last direct link to Calcutta

Calcutta: British Airways will suspend its Calcutta-London flight from March 28 next year.
“The route is not making a profitable contribution to our business and we are unable to sustain it,” said Amanda Amos, the British Airways (BA) area commercial manager, South Asia.
Calcutta, which took a blow when the Tatas decided to move their Nano plant from Singur last month, is the only station in the country the airline is pulling out from.
Passengers booked to travel with BA after March 28 will be contacted by the airline.
After Air India suspended its non-stop flights to Heathrow from the city in October, BA was the only airline offering a direct connection.
If Air India does not resume the service by April and BA sticks to its decision, passengers from eastern India will have to take flights which have stopovers at other airports.
But a spokesperson in Mumbai said: “BA will start direct flights between Hyderabad and London on December 7.”
BA, flying to the city since the 1930s, had started its non-stop service in 2001. It has three flights a week.
Airline sources said that after Indian economic reforms, Calcutta was expected to become a hub for metal-based industries. It was also expected to benefit from the push for closer economic ties with Southeast Asia and China. “Unfortunately, Calcutta has not yet come of age as a global business destination,” an Air India official said.
07/1/08 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Nov 2008, Foreign Nov 2008