Bangladesh?s GMG Airlines has increased the number of its flights from Calcutta from two to six a week.

It is also planning to tie up with an international airline operator to fly to destinations like Hong Kong.

GMG?s new flight schedule to Dhaka and Chittagong took effect from July 13. It is running three flights each on the Calcutta-Dhaka-Chittagong route and the Calcutta-Chittagong-Dhaka route.

The Calcutta-Dhaka-Chittagong flights will be operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. They will leave at 9.45 am and reach Dhaka at 11.15 am. The flights will take off again at 11.40 am and reach Chittagong at 12.30 pm.

On the other route, the flights will be operated on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. They will leave Calcutta at 10.40 am and reach Chittagong at 12.35 pm. The second leg of the journey, which will take around 50 minutes, will begin at 1 pm.

Seats can be booked from all GMG counters and travel agents in the city.

Having started its domestic operations on April 6, 1998, GMG made history on September 8, 2004, when it flew to Calcutta from Chittagong and became the first private airline of Bangladesh to go international.

The same year, on December 31, the airline added Dhaka to its Calcutta-Chittagong route.

?We have carved a niche for ourselves with quality service,? said a spokesperson for the airline.