Air India Express on Monday announced special summer fares for flights to Bangkok and Singapore. The low-cost wing of Air India also launched a service to Dhaka.

The minimum one-way fare on the Calcutta-Singapore sector will be Rs 1999 plus taxes during the holiday season. In the Calcutta-Bangkok sector, the fare will start from Rs 1,499 plus taxes, said an airline official. The offer will be valid from May 1 till June 30.

The lowest return fare on the Calcutta-Singapore route, including taxes, will be about Rs 14,000, while the figure for Bangkok will be about Rs 11,000, said airline officials.

In the domestic sector, the airline announced a basic starting fare of Rs 99 plus taxes for a one-way trip between Calcutta and Mumbai. The return fare, including taxes, will come to nearly Rs 2,400, said an official.

The date for the Dhaka flight launch has not been decided. There is a market for low-cost carriers in the sector, said an official. Air India and Jet Airways operate on the route.Air India Express started operations from Calcutta to destinations in Southeast Asia in October last year. The average load factor on the flights is over 80 per cent.

“The low fares have created a demand not only among tourists but also among students,” said an airline official. According to sources, around five per cent of the passengers to Singapore are students and the number is increasing.

“Airlines generally do not offer low fares in peak season. Full flights are expected because of the fare cut,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI).