Traders demand 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 made this call through a letter on 5 March, said a press release.

In the letter, he said there has been a significant increase in travellers' movement between the two countries for trade, medical and tourism purposes. Bangladesh Biman flights operate daily from Dhaka to Kolkata but there is no direct flight from Chattogram. 

To go to Kolkata or other destinations in India from Chattogram, people have to travel through Dhaka which is costly and time consuming. Currently, only a private company is operating a direct Chattogram-Kolkata flight daily.

Compared to the demand of businessmen, treatment seekers and tourists in the region, only one flight on this route is insufficient and it is very difficult to get tickets on that flight. 

As a result, when foreign investors visiting Chattogram or businessmen and treatment seekers want to go to India, they have to travel through 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 a direct Chattogram-Kolkata flight system is urgently required, said the CCCI president.