I have family that lives in Calcutta and near Darjeeling, and I remember with huge affection the BA service that used to run to Calcutta until 2009. It was, of course, one of the pioneer routes of BA, or rather its predecessor companies. It's difficult to express how one's emotions were so lifted - if departing the necessary chaos of India, especially in the run up to the Monsoon season in June - by sinking back into a BA seat, on an aircraft heading for London.

There were all sorts of reasons why the service stopped, but at the time the biggest was competition from other carriers (including KLM, Lufthansa and Air France at one point), that meant BA could never get the ticket prices they then needed. Also the quite ludicrous operating conditions at the airport. To give one example of many: every so often the Marxist regional government would order a "bandh", which is when the government instructs people to go on strike. The airport was often hit by these. Luckily the government in Calcutta has now changed, so hopefully this helps.

And I put it like that since: given the extra fleet additions; the fact that Calcutta is one of the largest Commonwealth cities without a BA service; the increasing middle classes of that and all big Indian cities, many of whom will have positive views on BA and all things British; reductions in services from Western competitors; all of this suggests to me that BA will be back, perhaps as a MF try out service. I hope I will be on the first service.