Businesses suffer for Ctg-Kolkata flight shortage, 40% fare hike

Kolkata-bound businesspeople, treatment seekers and holidaymakers are facing difficulties getting air tickets as currently only one airliner is operating flights on the Chattogram-Kolkata route when four airliners used to operate flights before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Moreover, due to fewer flights and huge travel demand, passengers are forced to buy tickets at higher prices. Tickets are not available even after paying the extra fare.

Traders and passengers complain that the airfare on the route has increased by almost 40 % compared to the same period last year.  To solve this crisis, Chattogram traders requested the airlines to resume operations of their flights on the Chattogram-Kolkata route.

Talking to the airlines, traders, and passengers on this route, TBS found that airfare for the Ctg-Kolkata route has increased to Tk18,000 and Tk20,000 which was Tk10,000 to 12,000 a year ago. In some cases, the airfare exceeds Tk25,000.

Former director of Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) Mahfuzul Haque Shah told TBS that after Covid-19, travel demand to Kolkata from Chattogram has increased.  But there is no opportunity to go to Kolkata for urgent needs as the number of flights has decreased.

Omar Sharif, a Chattogram trader, told TBS that return fare on the Chattogram-Kolkata route has now doubled compared to a year ago. Such a situation would not have arisen if Bangladesh Biman and Spice Jet flights were in operation.  

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US Bangla Airlines, Regent Air, and SpiceJet were operating flights on the route. Only US-Bangla and Indian airline SpiceJet resumed flight operations when the Covid-19 situation became normal. However, SpiceJet stopped flying on this route in October last year.

Shah Amanat International Airport Director Wing Commander Taslim Ahmed told TBS, "Only US-Bangla is operating flights on the route. Hopefully, Bangladesh Biman and Spice Jet will resume flights on this route soon.

According to the airlines, Spice Jet operated 78-seated flights seven days a week and carried 546 passengers. Regent Air operated 162-seater flights seven days a week and carried 1,134 passengers. Bangladesh Biman transported 234 passengers in a 78-seater aircraft on three flights a week. US Bangla airlines carry 504 passengers per week with 72 passengers per flight. The four airlines' flights could carry 2,418 passengers together on the Ctg-Kolkata route.

But currently, US-Bangla flights are transporting only 504 passengers a week. Every flight is regularly going out completely full of passengers now, according to the US-Bangla authorities.

Kamrul Islam, general manager (marketing and public relations) at US-Bangla Airlines, told the TBS, "There is a pressure of passengers on the route. There is no opportunity to increase the number of flights on international routes even if desired thanks to some obligations."

Low-cost airline Spice Jet launched its first flight on the Ctg-Kolkata route in November 2020. The one-way fare was Tk5,613 and the return fare was Tk10,104. After the Covid-19 outbreak, Spice Jet flights were stopped within a few months.

Spice Jet Chattogram in-charge Asif Chowdhury told TBS, "Spice jet flights on the Ctg-Kolkata route have been stopped as our aircraft are being overhauled. We hope to resume flights on this route soon."

Shah Amanat Airport Station Manager Md Salimullah said Bangladesh Biman has no flights from Chattogram to any airport in India. Currently, the aviation authority has no plans to start flights on the route.

Airfares hiked in other routes too

Alongside the Ctg-Kolkata route, airfares have also increased by 20 to 30 % on Middle East-bound different routes. In some cases, the rate of airfare hike exceeds 50%, according to various travel agencies.  

Chattogram-Muscat route flight tickets now are sold at Tk52,00-Tk60,000 which was sold at Tk18,000-Tk20,00 in 2018.

Reaz Bin Ali, the proprietor of The RTW travel support, a travel agency, told The Business Standard, "One of the biggest factors behind flight prices is the simple law of supply and demand. When demand disappeared at the start of the pandemic in 2020, it forced airlines to cut the supply of flights. When travel demand climbed back to levels from before the pandemic, outpacing airlines' ability to carry all those passengers, triggering flight shortage and airfare hike."

The airlines usually see the pressure of Kolkata-bound passengers for four months (from December to March). Besides, airlines have hiked the airfares by Tk15,000 centering the Umrah hajj during the month of Ramadan.  

Multiple travel agents said the airfare was Tk50,000 on the Chattogram-Sharjah route which increased to Tk75,000-Tk80,000. Return airfare on the Abu Dhabi route now is Tk75,000 to Tk80,000 which was Tk50,000 to 53,000 a year ago. Currently, a one-way ticket on the Jeddah route is selling for Tk70,000 which was Tk50,000 six months ago.

According to airport authorities, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air, and Salam Air operate flights on Middle East routes and US Bangla airlines on the Kolkata, Muscat, and Doha routes from Shah Amanat International Airport. Besides, Bangladesh Biman is operating flights on Jeddah, Dubai, Oman, and Sharjah routes.

Call for more direct Ctg-Kolkata flights

The Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has urged the State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali to start direct Bangladesh Biman flights from Chattogram to Kolkata.

CCCI President Md Mahbubul Alam, in a letter on 5 March, said there has been a significant increase in travel demand between the two countries for trade, medical, and tourism purposes. Bangladesh Biman flights operate daily from Dhaka to Kolkata but no direct flight from Chattogram. Currently, only a private airline is operating a direct flight to Kolkata daily.

Compared to the demand of businessmen, treatment seekers, and tourists in the region, only one flight on this route is insufficient.

When foreign investors visiting Chattogram or businessmen and treatment seekers want to go to India, they have to travel to Kolkata via Dhaka, which is a waste of time and money and causes a lot of suffering.

Considering the growing number of passengers and the demand, ensuring more direct Chattogram-Kolkata flights is urgently required, said the CCCI president.