Sri Lanka will soon be just three hours away from Kolkata. Sri Lanka government-owned low-cost carrier Mihin Lanka will connect Kolkata with Colombo from June 17. The thrice-a-week service will be the first flight between Kolkata and the emerald isle. At present, passengers from Kolkata take a connecting flight through Chennai or Bengaluru.

While the airline has an Airbus-319 aircraft in its modest fleet, the aircraft that is likely to be pressed into service in the Kolkata-Colombo sector will be either an Airbus A-320 or A-321.

Subhash Goyal, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said the flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. "Not only will passengers save time, the return fare of Rs 15,500 will be much lower than the options currently available. We expect the flight to kick off tourism in Bengal as well as Sri Lanka," he said.

Mihin Lanka also proposes to join hands with local tourist operators to offer Durga Puja packages. "We will organize special travel packages during Durga Puja and Diwali with attractive discounts on hotel rooms and sight-seeing," said Chiranjiv Mitra, sales manager (passenger and cargo), Mihin Lanka.

Till recently, picturesque locations in Kandy and Galle were seen only during cricket matches in the country. But with Mihin Lanka now flying to the city, the travel trade industry expects a good chunk of tourists who look for five to seven-day overseas holidays to opt for Sri Lanka.
(Times of India)