Air India Express to start direct flights to Dhaka from September 3

Expanding its international network, Air India Express will start direct flights connecting Kolkata and Chennai with Dhaka from September 3.

The Tata Group-owned airline, which is in the process of merging AIX Connect (earlier AirAsia India) with itself, currently operates services to 14 international and 32 domestic destinations.

In a release on Wednesday, Air India Express said it will operate six weekly flights each connecting Dhaka to Kolkata and Chennai. Dhaka will be the 15th international destination for the carrier.

The airline's Managing Director Aloke Singh said that apart from trade and tourism, these flights will help guests from Bangladesh travelling for medical treatments at speciality hospitals in Chennai and Kolkata.

"The services will also provide connections to Air India Express flights to the Gulf region, as also to Air India long-haul international flights," he added.With a fleet of 80 planes -- 52 Boeing 737s and 28 Airbus A320s -- the carrier operates more than 380 daily flights. Currently, the airline flies to 14 overseas cities. They are Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaima, Al Ain, Kuwait, Muscat, Salalah, Bahrain, Doha, Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh and Singapore.