The resumption of direct flights is expected to boost travel, trade, tourism, and people-to-people contacts between two countries.
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Web Desk
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A direct flight from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka landed at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on Thursday, marking the restoration of nonstop air connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan after a gap of 14 years.
The flight, operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG-341), arrived in Karachi on the evening of January 29 and was accorded a traditional water salute on arrival. The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) confirmed that this was the first direct flight from Dhaka to Karachi since services were suspended more than a decade ago.
“This is the first flight from Dhaka which landed at Jinnah International Airport after 14 years,” the PAA said in a statement, describing the resumption as “a new chapter in Pakistan-Bangladesh friendship.”
Initially, Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate the Dhaka–Karachi route twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays. According to the airline, flights will depart Dhaka at 8:00 p.m. local time and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 p.m., while the return flight will leave Karachi at 12:00 midnight and reach Dhaka at 4:20 a.m.
The service has been granted permission to operate on a trial basis until March 30, after which long-term approval will be considered.
Officials said the resumption of direct flights is expected to boost travel, trade, tourism, and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
The move comes amid improving ties between Islamabad and Dhaka following political changes in Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024.
Discussions on restarting direct air services had been underway since last year, with plans formally announced during the August visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Dhaka the first such high-level visit in over a decade.
Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971, and bilateral relations have remained strained for long periods since then. The restart of direct flights follows approval from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, which cleared Biman Bangladesh Airlines to operate on the route and use designated air corridors within Pakistani airspace.
Officials on both sides see the renewed air link as a confidence-building step toward broader engagement after years of limited connectivity.
