Kol-London direct flight ops extended till March

Kolkata: The direct flight between Kolkata and London will now operate up to March 31, 2021. The flight that was originally scheduled to operate till October 24 had been extended till December 31 only a week ago. While the news was welcomed by families in Kolkata who have relatives settled in the UK, it wasn’t music to the ears for those waiting to travel elsewhere. The announcement of the flight extension under the air-bubble agreement with the UK means that scheduled commercial flights are unlikely to resume services till March-end.
“The London flight with the Dreamliner aircraft will continue to operate till the end of this fiscal. The extended run will give flyers a chance to plan their travel well in advance. For the airline, it will give the flight time to stabilize in the new post-Covid environment,” an airline official told TOI.
Travel agents, too, felt the flight would get time to stabilize. “We are glad AI has extended the flight till the end of March. Now, it has to be marketed well so that loads go up and the flight becomes viable and not a liability for the airline. This is where the travel agent community can play a crucial role. The airline must utilize the 500-strong travel agent force in the city to its advantage. We have to retain the flight,” said Travel Agents Federation of India chairman (east) Anil Punjabi.