Dhaka: Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said India can partner with Bangladesh for executing projects being planned to develop and modernise the civil aviation infrastructure in Bangladesh.  

"Growth in air traffic needs to be supported by adequate aviation infrastructure," he said at the inaugural ceremony of NOVOAIR flight on the Dhaka-Kolkata route on Thursday.  

In an effort to increase people-to-people contacts, the diplomat said they have made efforts to streamline the visa issuing process.

The number of visas issued this year would cross 1 million and would far exceed the number of visas issued last year, he said.

"As a result, Bangladesh is now one of the biggest sources of tourist arrivals in India," Shringla said.In a bid to promote tourism, people-to-people contacts and trade India has also proposed an open skies policy on a reciprocal basis, he said. "New flights between different destinations in India and Bangladesh will give further boost to trade, tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts and sustain the momentum towards closer ties," the High Commissioner said.

Entry of more airlines will also foster greater competition thereby generating more value for the customers, he added.  

Shringla said December is an important month for two countries as the war of liberation commenced this month culminating in the liberation of Bangladesh. "It is fitting that the first visit of a Defense Minister of India is taking place at this time."

He said it is their endeavor to improve connectivity between India and Bangladesh by creating multimodal transport links and facilitating easy cross-border movement of goods and people, and the launch of the NOVOAIR flight today is an important step towards meeting this objective.There are presently around 100 flights operating weekly between India and Bangladesh connecting various Indian cities like New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai to Dhaka and Chittagong. Increasingly, more airlines from both the countries are launching or planning to launch flights between India and Bangladesh. 

"There is also interest in launching flights to new destinations such as Guwahati in Assam," Shringla said.

The diplomat said the increasing interest of airlines on routes between India and Bangladesh could not have come at a less opportune moment.  

"Today, India-Bangladesh trade and commercial ties are on an upward trajectory," he said adding that bilateral trade has registered a substantial increase over the last few years.  

"Companies from both India and Bangladesh are exploring new opportunities for investing and setting up joint ventures in each other’s country," the high commissioner said.  

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon spoke as the chief guest.  

Mofizur Rahman, Managing Director, NOVOAIR and Air Vice Marshal Ehsanul Gani Choudhury, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh were also present.