Calcutta: Travellers to Bhutan will soon have several more flight options from the city.

Bhutan's only private airline will operate more flights between Paro and Calcutta starting March 2018 to cater to the rising number of visitors to the picturesque Himalayan kingdom.

"There will be two weekly flights between Paro and Calcutta during the peak season between March 15 and May 15 and September 15 to November 15 ," Phala Dorji, the chief executive officer of Bhutan Airline, said in Calcutta on Tuesday. There will be 122 seats with eight reserved for business class passengers.

There will also be five flights a week between Bangkok and Paro with a stopover in Calcutta. Two more non-stop flights will operate between Paro and Bangkok every week, Dorji said.

"The fare of a Calcutta-Paro round trip will be a little less than Rs 16,000 all year, irrespective of the time of the booking," said Tshenchok Thinlay, the executive director of the airline. The baggage allowance has been increased from 30kg to 40kg in business class and from 20kg to 30kg in economy class.

Bhutan Airline is the only airline in Paro other than the national carrier, Druk Air.

The Buddhist kingdom, famous for monasteries and stunning landscapes and more recently Prince William and Kate Middleton's two-day stay in April last year, is fast emerging as a popular tourist destination. "There has been a steady rise in the passenger count, especially in the past two years," said Anil Punjabi, chairman, east, Travel Agents Federation of India.

Bhutan Airline started operating the flight between Bangkok and Paro via Calcutta in December 2013. The airline has since flown more than 40,000 passengers to Paro, said Thinlay.

The carrier operates with two A319 aircraft. Two Airbus 319 have been leased from AerCap. "The planes will replace our existing fleet by June," said Dorji, the CEO.