DHL/Blue Dart aviation to start direct services on Kolkata-Dhaka route

15 May 2008

Kolkata: DHL Express (India) Pvt Ltd, in association with Blue Dart Aviation, is planning a direct link between Kolkata and Dhaka in a bid to compete with the unorganised express and logistics sector in SARRC countries. The new service is likely to become operational in approximately two months time.

The new route will reduce time and costs for DHL, for earlier the cargo would travel to Dhaka from Kolkata, via Singapore.

"Blue Dart Aviation would run a direct flight to Dhaka in two months time and this would help bringing down our cost by at least 20 per cent in addition to the transit time," said Craig Grossgart, vice president, DHL Express (India) Pvt Ltd.

According to the company, the cost benefits would be passed on to the customers enabling a lower product cost. "Earlier we couldn't compete with the unorganised nature of the sector in this part,  but now we can compete with anybody, as the pricing would be more competitive," Grossgart said.

Eventually, the company plans to venture into other SAARC nations, particularly Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"We would definitely like to be a first mover in the virgin territories of the region," Grossgart said. Keeping this strategy in mind, the company is designing an intra-SAARC product, which would be multi-modal in that it would use both air and surface networks.