SpiceJet to connect Bagdogra, Kathmandu

Kathmandu, July 18 (IANS) Indian budget carrier SpiceJet announced here Friday it will be connecting Kathmandu and Kolkata via Bagdogra from Aug 13.

The service will operate three times a week - Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays - it said, adding it was also offering an introductory promotional fare starting from Rs.199 plus statutory taxes and fees for the Kathmandu-Bagdogra sector.

Fares from Kathmandu to Kolkata via Bagdogra start at Rs.5,078 plus statutory taxes and fees.

With the introduction of this flight, SpiceJet will become the first Indian airline to operate international flights between Kathmandu and Bagdogra. This triweekly service is in addition to the 11 weekly direct flights SpiceJet operates on the Kathmandu-Delhi route.

The Bagdogra airport in Darjeeling district of India's West Bengal state is located in a popular tourism region of the country and is also the base airport for Darjeeling.

This new service will provide people in Kathmandu comfortable connectivity with Bagdogra and Kolkata.

"This is our first international flight from the state of West Bengal to Kathmandu. We believe this flight will not only facilitate tourism, but also be important for the growth of trade between the two neighbouring nations," said Kaneswaran Avili, chief commercial officer of SpiceJet.

SpiceJet and another Indian budger carrier, Indigo, are starting to rule the Nepali sky ever cince they launched their operations.