Calcutta is set to get a direct flight to Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will start its operations from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport soon.

“The recent bilateral talks between the governments of the UAE and India were successful and Etihad has been awarded the air traffic rights to Calcutta and Jaipur,” a senior airline official told Metro from Mumbai on Tuesday.

“The launch date and flight frequency will be finalised soon,” the official said. According to sources at Calcutta airport, the airline is likely to start operations from winter.

Etihad, which now operates only cargo flights to and from Calcutta, runs passenger service to four Indian cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi from Abu Dhabi.

From August 1, two more destinations — Kozhikode and Chennai — will be added to the list.

Etihad, which flies to several European and North American destinations, is also eyeing air traffic rights to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Etihad will be the third airline, after Emirates and Gulf Air, to connect West Asian desert destinations with the city. Emirates flies daily to Dubai, while Gulf Air operates two flights a week to Bahrain.

Sources said the Doha-based Qatar Airways, too, is planning to launch its Calcutta operations. The airline has already acquired traffic rights to operate from Calcutta.

“As there are now more choices for Calcuttans willing to fly to West Asia, the fares on the sector will be more competitive,” said Anil Punjabi, the chairman (east) of the Travel Agents Federation of India.