GMG Airlines, Bangladesh's only private career, would begin its global operations on September 8 with an inaugural flight between Chittagong and Kolkata.

The airline, which presently operates 15 return flights within Bangladesh, would kickstart its India operations with three flights a week to Kolkata.

GMG Airlines' general manager (ground services) Nabhojit Panigrahi told PTI in Kolkata that the Chittagong-Kolkata flight, a 37-seater Dash-8 aircraft, would be operated thrice a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

"This is the first phase of our international operations. We expect to flag off the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka flight in October this year keeping in mind the post-puja health tourism rush to this country," Panigrahi said.

The flight would arrive in Kolkata at 11.45 am and leave for Chittagong at 12.15 pm, he said.

The company has already received permission from the Bangladesh civil aviation ministry to operate flights on the Dhaka-Colombo-Malay, Dhaka-Chennai, Dhaka-Kathmandu and Chittagong-Changmai (North Thailand) sectors.

"We would begin operations in these sectors by early next year. But before that we would expand our fleet size from three (two 37 seaters and a 50 seater aircraft) to five by including two bigger aircraft -- a Boeing 737 and a Folker 100," he said.

Panigrahi said the company would be directly competing with Bangladesh's national carrier Biman Airlines, which currently operates two return flights to Chittagong from Kolkata on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The 600 million taka GMG group, with other business interests like razor blades, textile mills and sugar mills, was expecting a substantial boost in turnover with its forthcoming international operations.