The Air India chairman, V Thulasidas, said the Kolkata-London flight would start in April and the flight to Bangkok and Singapore would begin in October.

Speaking at a seminar on 'Focus West Bengal: Improving Airline Connectivity to enhance competitiveness', organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Thulasidas said that the introduction of new flights was part of efforts to strengthen the A-I's service from the eastern metropolis.

Initially the Kolkata-London direct Boeing-777 flight would operate thrice a week, provided the airline was allowed an arrival slot at the busy Heathrow International Airport. The frequency of the flight could be enhanced on the availability of passenger traffic from the city.

The flight from Kolkata to Bangkok and Singapore would operate four days a week initially. It would later be made a daily flight, the A-I chairman said.

The twice-a-week domestic flight to Mumbai would soon be upgraded to thrice a week to enhance connectivity to Europe, USA and the rest of the world.  This would be the airlines' third 'hub and spoke' in the country, he said.

The announcement of the new flights came after West Bengal government complained that the Kolkata sector was being consistently neglected by the airlines.