Dhaka, Jan 30: Biman Bangladesh Airlines launched a direct flight service on the Dhaka–Karachi–Dhaka route, with the inaugural flight BG-341 departing from Dhaka on Thursday at 8 pm.
Bangladesh and Pakistan have been drawing close to each other since the interim government led by Prof Mohammad Yunus took over in August 2024, with frequent exchange of delegations including military delegations between the two nations.
The start of direct flights by Bangladesh Biman to Karachi is seen as yet another move to draw the two nations which separated in 1971 after a 9-month long bloody battle for independence, closer to each other.
A ceremony to mark the launch was held at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, attended by Sheikh Bashiruddin, Adviser to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and Chairman of Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Board of Directors, as the chief guest. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmud Siddique, were also present at the event.
The inaugural flight is scheduled to arrive in Karachi at 11 pm local time on Thursday. The return flight, BG-342, will depart Karachi at 12:01 am on Friday and arrive in Dhaka at 4:20 am. About 150 passengers travelled on the inaugural service.
Under Biman’s winter schedule effective from Friday, the airline will operate flights on the Dhaka–Karachi route twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Flights will depart Dhaka at 8 pm and reach Karachi at 11 pm, while return services will leave Karachi at midnight and arrive in Dhaka at 4 am. With the launch of the new service, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has established direct air connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan.