December 17, 2025
Saket Gokhale’s Zero Hour mention on starting direct flights from Kolkata to the US and Europe
Sir, Kolkata Airport is the gateway for international passengers travelling not just to West Bengal but also to the entire region of the North-East of India. Despite this, it is very unfortunate that even today there are no direct flights from Kolkata Airport to destinations in the US and in Europe. Last year, Kolkata Airport handled about 25 lakh international passengers which is an annual growth of about 11 per cent from the previous year. The airport is growing and the international traffic is growing. Sir, Foreign Tourist Visits to West Bengal more than doubled within a year from 10 lakh in 2022 to 27 lakh in 2023. That number has now grown even better to 31 lakh in 2024 (which is a growth of 300 per cent in just 3 years). This phenomenal growth has been possible, thanks to the policies of our hon. Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, who has made Bengal, a rising global destination for tourism and foreign investment. Our State of West Bengal now attracts the second highest number of foreign tourists in India; we are very proud of that. Sir, the maximum number of foreign tourists to Bengal incidentally come from the U.S., U.K. and Italy, and yet we do not have a direct flight connection to any of these countries. The Union Government would say that the airline routes are decided and they depend on their own commercial policy, which is fair. But this is not entirely true because there are steps that the Union Government can take. I just want to list out three steps that the Union Government could think of taking. One is to introduce a timebound incentive package for Kolkata airport with landing and parking rebates, marketing support and risk-sharing for the first 12 to 24 months. The second is to provide targeted route viability support; that is what the airlines need. The third, which is important, is to reduce friction for airlines by giving more slots, improving ground-handling, increasing immigration capacity and by fast-tracking approvals. Sir, my State of West Bengal has a magnetic charm. We are the only State which has the Himalayas as well as pristine beaches, none of the States in India have that and yet the international connectivity from Kolkata is sadly ignored because of …. Therefore, I request the Government to show some grace and finally start direct flights from Kolkata to the U.S and Europe. Thank you.
