Etihad Airways has launched daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Kolkata (Calcutta), the airline’s 11th destination in India on its own, and its 15th destination in combination with network partner Jet Airways.

Neerja Bhatia, Etihad Airways’ GM-India, Craig Thomas, Etihad Airways’ regional GM Asia Pacific North and Indian Subcontinent (ISC) and B P Sharma, airport director of Airports Authority of India (AAI), hosted a special ribbon cutting at the gate.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “We’re delighted to add Kolkata, an economic powerhouse and Etihad Airways’ first destination in northeastern India, to our flight network. This new service will support the growing demand from air travelers who are keen to fly between West Bengal and the Middle East, Europe and North America via our Abu Dhabi home base.”

Kolkata is the main commercial and financial hub of east and northeast India with a metropolitan population of approximately 14.1 million people.

The city is home to the Kolkata Stock Exchange and recently experienced a major economic rejuvenation driven by the expanding IT sector.

B.P. Sharma, airport director of AAI, said: “We are pleased to welcome Etihad Airways’ world-class service to our city. This will boost the aviation sector and strengthen Kolkata's cultural and business connections.”

Etihad Airways operates a two cabin A320 aircraft between Abu Dhabi and Kolkata, which is configured to carry 136 passengers, with 16 in Business Class and 120 in Economy Class.

The service to and from Kolkata connects with a number of Etihad Airways’ key North American destinations.

Passengers flying on all Etihad Airways flights from India to the United States are processed through the US preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi Airport, which means they pass through all US immigration and customs checks in Abu Dhabi and arrive in the US as domestic passengers.