Air India will begin daily flights from New Delhi to Dhaka from December 3 to grab a slice of higher traffic flows between the two capital cities, said a high official on Monday. The Indian national flag carrier sees the prospect of a booming business here as a huge number of passengers regularly travel to the destinations. “We will start the operation in Dhaka because of higher traffic flow between the two capital cities,” said Dhyanabrata Sanyal, country manager of the airline, by the sidelines of ‘Curtain Raising’ programme of the India Show that will start from December 3 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The airline will fly seven days a week with its A 320 aircraft initially with 20-seat for business class and 120-seat for economic class. The cash-strapped flag carrier airline of India suspended its operation in Bangladesh in 2008 as it withdrew its low-cost airline Air India Express, a subsidiary of the airline, in the face of lower traffic flow from Dhaka to Kolkata and Mumbai. The flight that would reach New Delhi 11:45 a.m. will depart Dhaka at 9:45 a.m. It will land at Dhaka the next day at 8:45 am after starting from New Delhi at 5:45 am (local times). Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising the three-day India Show with the assistance of Ministry of Commerce, Government of India.

Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textile and GM Quader, Bangladesh Minister of Commerce will formally inaugurate the exhibition. More than 60 Indian companies representing textiles and handicrafts, automobile and spare parts, readymade garments, consumer products, jewellery, healthcare, education, information technology, agro-business and food processing, renewable energy, light engineering and others will exhibit their products and services in over 100 stalls and pavilions.

A seminar on investment opportunities has been arranged on the sidelines of the exhibition to find out ways to strengthen bilateral business cooperation and increase investment. A number of bilateral agreements on trade and investment are expected to be signed during the show. The exhibition will showcase the best of India’s sectoral pavilions, India-Bangladesh CEOs’ roundtable, one-to-one business meetings, high-level sessions on trade and investments, sectoral roundtables, cultural extravaganza, food festival, cultural show-traditional Indian dance, fashion show and live concert.

The Show will remain open for all from 10am to 8pm every day. Speaking at the Curtain Raising programme at Sonargaon Hotel, Sandeep Chakraborty, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Dhaka, said to increase Bangladesh exports to India, Bangladesh needs to diversify its exports basket. The aim of the show is not to sell products in Bangladesh but to explore joint venture investment opportunities here. Goods produced can be exported to India and other parts of the world, helping to bridge trade gap between the two countries, he said. He also said investment in India is also open for Bangladesh and many proposals are in the pipeline. An Indian business delegation of nearly 50 members, including Indian Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma, is expected to arrive in Dhaka on December 2 to attend the show.

“This will be the biggest Indian show here. That means they (India) are taking Bangladesh seriously for business partnership ensuring mutual benefits,” Abdul Matlub Ahmed, president of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Bangladesh would get fresh investment through the show, he said. “There’s possibility of inking three memorandums of understanding between the two countries during the event.” Ahmed said Bangladesh’s export to India is not increasing as expected. “The event will help boost Indian investment here, create scope for re-export there by availing duty-free facilities and minimise the trade imbalance between the two.” Gourav Swarup, Chairman, Eastern Council, FICCI, Arvind Mehta, Joint Secretary (FT-SA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India, Shawkat Ali Wareshi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh addressed the programme among others.

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Air India’s direct flight to Delhi takes off December 3

Air India will begin daily flights from New Delhi to Dhaka from December 3 to grab a slice of higher traffic flows between the two capital cities, said a high official on Monday. The Indian national flag carrier sees the prospect of a booming business here as a huge number of passengers regularly travel to the destinations. “We will start the operation in Dhaka because of higher traffic flow between the two capital cities,” said Dhyanabrata Sanyal, country manager of the airline, by the sidelines of ‘Curtain Raising’ programme of the India Show that will start from December 3 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. The airline will fly seven days a week with its A 320 aircraft initially with 20-seat for business class and 120-seat for economic class. The cash-strapped flag carrier airline of India suspended its operation in Bangladesh in 2008 as it withdrew its low-cost airline Air India Express, a subsidiary of the airline, in the face of lower traffic flow from Dhaka to Kolkata and Mumbai. The flight that would reach New Delhi 11:45 a.m. will depart Dhaka at 9:45 a.m. It will land at Dhaka the next day at 8:45 am after starting from New Delhi at 5:45 am (local times). Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising the three-day India Show with the assistance of Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textile and GM Quader, Bangladesh Minister of Commerce will formally inaugurate the exhibition. More than 60 Indian companies representing textiles and handicrafts, automobile and spare parts, readymade garments, consumer products, jewellery, healthcare, education, information technology, agro-business and food processing, renewable energy, light engineering and others will exhibit their products and services in over 100 stalls and pavilions. A seminar on investment opportunities has been arranged on the sidelines of the exhibition to find out ways to strengthen bilateral business cooperation and increase investment. A number of bilateral agreements on trade and investment are expected to be signed during the show. The exhibition will showcase the best of India’s sectoral pavilions, India-Bangladesh CEOs’ roundtable, one-to-one business meetings, high-level sessions on trade and investments, sectoral roundtables, cultural extravaganza, food festival, cultural show-traditional Indian dance, fashion show and live concert. The Show will remain open for all from 10am to 8pm every day. Speaking at the Curtain Raising programme at Sonargaon Hotel, Sandeep Chakraborty, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Dhaka, said to increase Bangladesh exports to India, Bangladesh needs to diversify its exports basket. The aim of the show is not to sell products in Bangladesh but to explore joint venture investment opportunities here. Goods produced can be exported to India and other parts of the world, helping to bridge trade gap between the two countries, he said. He also said investment in India is also open for Bangladesh and many proposals are in the pipeline. An Indian business delegation of nearly 50 members, including Indian Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma, is expected to arrive in Dhaka on December 2 to attend the show. “This will be the biggest Indian show here. That means they (India) are taking Bangladesh seriously for business partnership ensuring mutual benefits,” Abdul Matlub Ahmed, president of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Bangladesh would get fresh investment through the show, he said. “There’s possibility of inking three memorandums of understanding between the two countries during the event.” Ahmed said Bangladesh’s export to India is not increasing as expected. “The event will help boost Indian investment here, create scope for re-export there by availing duty-free facilities and minimise the trade imbalance between the two.” Gourav Swarup, Chairman, Eastern Council, FICCI, Arvind Mehta, Joint Secretary (FT-SA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India, Shawkat Ali Wareshi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh addressed the programme among others.