High flier

Calcutta, Aug. 18: Air Sahara plans to make Calcutta the second-largest hub within its own network by adding more flights out of the city.

The company announced 66 new flights yesterday, including nine out of Calcutta.

The additional flights will be introduced in a phased manner by mid-December. The airline will also be the first private domestic carrier to fly international from Calcutta when it connects Dhaka in November.

Air Sahara president Alok Sharma said the company wants to reach pole position in terms of market share in flights out of Calcutta.

“We want to be first in Delhi and Calcutta,” Sharma, who was in Calcutta today, said.

The company may reach its target in Delhi within two years, but achieving a stronghold here with a 25 per cent market share could take a year more.

Air Sahara holds the third position in Calcutta.

“We will add more flights and connect newer destinations in the second phase of expansion, which will be announced in February next year,” he added.

The airline launched direct flights to Patna and Lucknow on Boeing today, significantly increasing the number of seats. It also launched a Calcutta–Ahmedabad flight via Delhi.

It will also connect the city with Nagpur via Hyderabad on August 25, followed by direct flights to Dibrugarh, Chennai and Port Blair. It will also increase the number of daily flights to Delhi to five from three at present and two to Guwahati.

By December 2006, Air Sahara will offer 45 connections and 17 departures out of the city. Moreover, it will also withdraw CRJs, the smaller regional jets with low seat capacity, and replace it with bigger Boeing aircraft.

“Our strategy is to develop a new and niche market with CRJs and then replace it with Boeing when the volume picks up,” Sharma said.

International push

After connecting Dhaka with Calcutta, Air Sahara plans to fly to Bangkok from the city during the next phase of expansion.

Sharma confirmed that Air Sahara plans to connect a Chinese city with Calcutta, meeting long-standing pleas of the Bengal government.