The Hindu Business Line : Air Sahara to fly Bangalore-Colombo daily

AIR Sahara, which is to launch daily operations between Chennai and Colombo from March 22, plans to start a daily flight on the Bangalore-Colombo sector from April 8, the airlines Chief Executive Officer, Mr U.K. Bose, said on Thursday.

"We plan to have a morning connection between Bangalore and Colombo. The launch of the Bangalore flight will benefit the passenger as they would have the option of having a morning and evening connection to Colombo from India," Mr Bose said. The airline has already announced the launch of a daily late night flight on the Chennai-Colombo sector from March 22.

Airline officials added that the launch of the flight between Bangalore and Colombo is also likely to see fares on the sector becoming more competitive. At present, only Srilankan, the national airline of Sri Lanka, offers a connection between Bangalore and Colombo.

The domestic private sector airline, which is keen to increase air connectivity between India and different parts of the world, is also close to tying up with some major international airlines to provide greater flexibility for international air passengers travelling too and from India.

"The negotiations with the international airlines are in final stages. We should be able to make an announcement in the next day or two," Mr Bose said.

Meanwhile, the airline has also launched the concept of "one-fare from any part of India" to Sri Lanka. While the first 500 people booking with the airline for Sri Lanka will be charged Rs 31,000 for a three night four day package, the package will be available for Rs 37,000 for other passengers.

The airline is also gearing up for launching operations between Delhi and Kathmandu and Kolkata and Dhaka. "We hope to launch these operations in April this year. Besides, we will also be looking at extending the Colombo flight to Maldives," Mr Bose added.

The airline has also announced its fares for Colombo. While a passenger flying from Chennai will be charged Rs 6,615 for a one-way business class ticket, an economy class one-way ticket will cost Rs 4,145. Similarly, a one-way business class ticket from Delhi will cost Rs 27,425 while an economy class ticket is being priced at Rs 17,145. A passenger from Bangalore will be charged Rs 10,950 for a one-way business class ticket and Rs 7,110 for an economy class ticket.