Dragonair to step up Kolkata departures from May

Hong Kong-based airline operator Dragonair Wednesday said it is increasing its weekly flights from the metropolis to Chinese territory from five to six effective May 12.

"Kolkata is a growing market with huge potential for travel and the addition of this flight will benefit travellers from the corporate sector along with leisure travellers, traders, students, exporters and travellers from the Buddhist community," the airline's general manager for South Asia, Middle East and Africa Charlie Stewart-Cox said.

"This service will offer more options and greater convenience when travelling to Hong Kong and enable them to connect seamlessly with flights to more than 203 destinations in the Dragonair and Cathay Pacific network," he said.

The company launched flights from Kolkata to Hong Kong in November 2012 with four departures a week adding the fifth weekly flight later the following year.

The company said that along with its sister airline Cathay Pacific, it will now operate 48 passenger flights every week between Hong Kong and six major gateways in India comprising Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Established in 1985, the airline operates a fleet of 18 A330-300s, eight A321s and 15 A320s across the globe covering 49 destinations in Asia-Pacific region.