11.4.09

Paramount set to connect Kolkata

At a time when several international airlines are withdrawing operations from Kolkata, the Chennai-based Paramount Airways is all set to start operations from here — on April 22, in all probability. The airline will start off with one daily flight to Chennai that will take off at 1.25 and reach its destination at 3.30 pm. “The best part of the schedule is that passengers will find more convenient to connect other destinations like Madurai, Coimbatore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram , Tiruchirapalli, Bangalore and Hyderabad,” said M Thiagarajan, managing director of Paramount Airways. It was just last month that Thiagarajan met chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to discuss Kolkata as the gateway to its north-eastern operations. Bhattacharya had requested him to start operations for domestic as well as international sectors from the city. “International destinations from the city are on our radar. For the time being, we are starting off with south and northeastern destinations,” said a Paramount official. Apart from the Chennai flight, the airline will also start its Agartala via Guwahati operation the same day. The Kolkata-Guwahati flight will take off at 9.35 am. Although the airline, with all business class seats, is yet to announce its fare. Sources said the promotional fare may vary between Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000. “It’s good that the airline showed interest in operating from the city. We hope this will motivate other airlines to show interest in Kolkata, too,” said Anil Punjabi, the eastern region chairman of the Travel Agents’ Federation of India.

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