Dhaka, May 20 (PTI) Bangladesh has granted approval to Pakistan’s private airline, AirSial, to operate direct flights between the two countries, marking the second Pakistani carrier to receive such clearance this year.
As per standard procedure, AirSial will now appoint a General Sales Agent (GSA) in Bangladesh and apply for flight slots accordingly, BSS news agency reported on Monday.
“We gave clearance to AirSial to operate direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan,” Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan was quoted as saying by BSS.
AirSial, a private airline based in Sialkot, Pakistan, operates a fleet of six Airbus.
In February, CAAB approved Pakistan’s low-cost airline, Fly Jinnah, to operate direct flights on the Karachi-Dhaka route, resuming air connectivity between the two countries after nearly a decade.
Quoting officials, the report said AirSial will not only connect Bangladesh and Pakistan, but will also offer Bangladeshi passengers transit options to various international destinations, especially to middle eastern countries.
The last Pakistani airline to fly direct routes to Bangladesh was the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which ceased operations on the route in 2018 due to low booking rates and financial losses, according to bdnews24.com news portal.
Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Md Iqbal Hussain, has earlier said that if approved, AirSial might commence flights to Dhaka within two months. PTI SCY SCY
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