Direct flights to operate between Karachi and Dhaka after 7 years

After a seven-year gap, direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh are on track to resume, with Bangladesh’s Civil Aviation Authority granting approval to Pakistani private airline Fly Jinnah for a Karachi-Dhaka route.

Before launching operations in Bangladesh, Fly Jinnah must appoint a local General Sales Agent in the country, according to the chairperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan.

Speaking to TRT World, a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) representative said while PIA does fly to Bangladesh directly, currently there were no listed flight for the next few months. If you try booking a flight on PIA’s website, it shows Dhaka as an option but when you select it, there are no scheduled flights.

Fly Jinnah is a budget airline and is a joint venture between Pakistan’s Lakson Group and UAE-based Air Arabia, a low-cost carrier headquartered in Sharjah.

Abdul Naser Khan, additional secretary to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism confirmed to ANI news outlook that a deal would be signed to resume this direct flight.

Passenger announcement

This comes after Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan, Muhammad Iqbal Hussain Khan said last month that Bangladesh's national carrier, Biman, had plans to operate Dhaka to Karachi to London.

The relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh—once two halves of the same country until East Pakistan became independent after the 1971 civil war—has been steadily strengthening.

For decades ties between the countries has been strained as former Prime Minister Hasina Wajid, had closer ties with India. However, since the student-led protests in August 2024, Pakistan and Bangladesh have grown close. The interim government under Muhammad Yunus has expressed interest in revitalising ties with Pakistan, aligning with recent trade agreements and the opening of a shipping route between Chittagong and Karachi.

Recently, Bangladesh signed a deal with Pakistan to import 50,000 tonnes of rice. The Bangladesh interim government has also simplified the visa process for Pakistanis.

The last flight

In the last decade, the direct flight between Karachi and Dhaka was suspended in 2015 for a week or so.

Pakistan’s national carrier, which had five flights operating in Bangladesh, suspended operations on February 25, 2015, followed by a raid on the station manager’s house by Bangladeshi authorities.

Then in 2018, Pakistan International Airline (PIA) suspended its operations to Bangladesh after security forces allegedly mistreated one of its officials in Dhaka.

But it wasn’t always suspensions and cancellations, Back in 2011, Pakistan’s national carrier had doubled its flights to Dhaka – a move that did upset Bangladesh’s national carrier Biman.

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Source: TRT