British Airways has been asked by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to restart direct flights from London to Kolkata and invite British businesses to explore investment in the state. Banerjee made a heartfelt appeal to representatives of the UK aviation sector at an interactive session on Tuesday called “Opportunities in West Bengal” in London.
“I have one humble request of my friends on UK airlines and that is can you give us one direct flight? London Kolkata flights were operated by British Airways. However, the service was withdrawn before we came to power in 2011. I do not understand why, though now every flight is nearly sold out. We are also providing fuel concessions. She said that whoever comes to us first will be given an advantage in fuel tax.”
It had been nearly 80 years, ever since March 2009, when British Airways stopped its direct flights to Kolkata, and that year, fares between the two countries were raised to a whopping £1000. After that, Air India tried direct flights between Kolkata and London in 2005 but discontinued them in three years because of the low numbers of passengers.
Mamata Banerjee’s appeal highlights the increasing need and the state’s will to connect to the rest of the world and encourage trade and tourism.
Banerjee pitched for better air connectivity, and apart from this, he invited British industries to invest in sectors like green technology, smart infrastructure and clean energy. She added: “We welcome further partnerships, areas such as automation, engineering, green manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and more.”
Speaking further, Banerjee revealed that the Bengal Global Business Summits (BGBS) held in the past have proposed for investment of over ₹23 lakh crore, making Bengal a rising business hub. She is also due to give a lecture at the University of Oxford on Thursday and return to India on Friday.
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