Those who wish to spend a holiday in the Chittagong Hill Tracts may easily do so, now that direct flights will connect the region in Bangladesh from next month.

A private aviation company of Bangladesh, GMG Airlines, is set to start three direct flights a week between Calcutta and Chittagong and also seven additional direct flights to Dhaka in a week.

A Malaysia Airlines team, which recently carried out a feasibility study on starting flights between Calcutta and Kuala Lumpur, will once again be here on September 7 to hold the final round of talks.

“The exact modalities for the twin projects will be clear in the next few days and the task of reviving Calcutta airport will begin in a modest way,” said airport director Rajendra Pal.

This apart, Singapore Airlines, which has a tie-up with Australian aviation firm Qantas, is looking at more flights out of Calcutta to Singapore. “We are waiting for the talks to get underway,” Pal added.

The Bangladeshi private airline, which has mostly Indian employees, will introduce the smaller Dash-8 aircraft, which has the capacity to carry 60 passengers, on the new Calcutta-Chittagong route and later increase frequency, depending on requirements.

“They have been very upbeat about the project and we, too, believe the venture will help open up more avenues,” airport director Pal added.

The decision comes at a time when other Calcutta-based private airlines have become reluctant to fly to Dhaka, after showing initial enthusiasm.

“With the Bangla airline connecting the two nations with smaller flights, it looks unlikely that private aviation operators from India will look at Dhaka as a viable prospect,” said a senior airport official.

During its recent visit to Calcutta, Malaysian tourism officials held meetings with their Indian counterparts and offered them attractive packages for people holidaying in Kuala Lumpur and other destinations.

“The talks went off well and its seems a holiday in Kuala Lumpur, plus the return airfare, will be much cheaper than an Indian destination,” a tourism official said.

After a long wait, Calcutta airport will get its much-awaited aircraft for its international and domestic operations.

A spokesman for Indian Airlines from Delhi said the aircraft has been cleared and should reach Calcutta very soon. “More aircraft on lease might also go to Calcutta, depending on the situation and requirements,” he added.

From December, Alliance Air, a subsidiary concern, will replace all Boeings with the Airbus-319 aircraft for its northeastern zone operations.