Bangladesh's United Airways to fly to India

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's private airline United Airways said on Sunday it would open its first international route with a daily flight between Dhaka and India's Kolkata from Sept. 24.

United Airways also plans to introduce flights on the Chittagong-Kolkata, Dhaka-Kathmandu and other regional routes soon, to meet fast-growing demand for air travel, said Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury, head of the company.

The airline, which began flying on Bangladesh domestic routes in 2007, will initially operate international flights with two Canadian Dash-8-100 aircraft.

It plans to add two more Dash-8-300s and six big jets for its international operations within the next five years, Tasbirul said. New destinations would include India's Guwahati, Mumbai and Chennai.

"We also hope to expand our operations to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bahrain and Dubai by July 2009," Tasbirul added.

Currently, four private airlines and national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines connect Bangladesh to regional and world destinations. Bangladesh's aviation market is growing by around 7.5 percent annually.