Calcutta, July 19: The first low cost flight between Calcutta and Dhaka will take off tomorrow.

Air India Express will fly six days a week, an airline spokesperson said today.

The 186-seater Boeing 737-800 will not fly on Saturdays.

The operation between Calcutta and Dhaka will be an extension of the services on the Singapore and Bangkok sectors, the airline spokesperson added.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the flight that reaches Calcutta from Dhaka at 6am will take off for Singapore at 6.50. It will return to Calcutta at 4pm before flying to Dhaka at 5.10.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays the plane will fly to Bangkok at 6.50am after reaching Calcutta from Dhaka at 6. It will return at 1.20pm and then fly to Dhaka.

Air India sources said the minimum one-way fare for a flight between Calcutta and Dhaka would be around Rs 3,000, including taxes.

GMG Airlines now opera- tes two flights daily to Dhaka and four flights a week to Chittagong. Biman Bangladesh and Jet Airways operate one flight each everyday.

Kingfisher plans to launch double daily flights from Calcutta to Dhaka and Chittagong this winter.

However, aviation industry sources said demand for seats in the sector was low. “Everyday, there are around 300 seats in four flights to Dhaka, but only around 150 passengers travel.”

Air India officials pointed out that they were also targeting those travelling from Bangladesh to Southeast Asia.