Kolkata eases flight restrictions from Mumbai and Delhi, check here

Mumbai-Kolkata and Delhi-Kolkata flights will now be able to operate daily providing they adhere to Covid norms and all passengers have negative RT-PCR tests.

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In West Bengal, curbs on COVID flights were eased last week, including those from Delhi and Mumbai. There has been a slow increase in traffic to Kolkata from these two cities for more than a month. Domestic flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Kolkata resumed on February 1st.

West Bengal began restricting flights from severely affected cities as Omicron cases spiked sharply around the start of the new year. Flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Kolkata were restricted after Covid cases spiked on 3 January. 

Airlines have welcomed the decision of the state to lift the ban on flights from Delhi and Mumbai as a result of the decision. Although a full-fledged network has not yet been established, there is still time to do so. It has been reported that several major airlines are trying to determine when and how soon flights will be able to resume to Kolkata.

Last December, Kolkata's only direct flight to London was temporarily suspended by the state government. Kolkata to London was flown by Air India's Dreamliner every Sunday before the curb.

Kolkata-London flights could resume on February 13th, as passenger demand on the route is quite high. According to a TOI report, an Air India official said, "This is a huge relief for passengers as they will now be able to travel directly between London and Kolkata. The flight on February 13th has 75% occupancy."

Flights between Bengaluru and Kolkata have been restricted despite flights from Delhi and Mumbai being allowed. These cities can only fly between them on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Considering there are more than 15 flights on this route daily, this is a significant drop.