Bangladesh’s flag carrier, state-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines, will resume direct flights between Dhaka and Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, from January 29, restoring non-stop air connectivity between the
two countries after more than a decade.
“Initially, flights will operate twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays,” Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported, quoting a press release issued by the airline.
The flight will depart Dhaka at 8.00 pm local time and arrive in Karachi at 11.00 pm, while the return flight will leave Karachi at 12.00 midnight and reach Dhaka at 4.20 am.
Currently, passengers travelling between the two countries largely rely on connecting flights via hubs such as Dubai or Doha, which can take anywhere from eight to 22 hours depending on the carrier.
Biman officials said the new direct service would be operated using modern aircraft and experienced flight crews, offering a faster and more convenient alternative for business, tourism, and family travel.
“The launch of this new route is expected to make passenger travel between Bangladesh and Pakistan easier and more convenient. It will also open up new opportunities for business, tourism and family travel,” the airline said in its press release.
The shortest aerial route between Dhaka and Karachi passes over Indian airspace, though it is not immediately known whether Bangladesh has secured the necessary clearance from New Delhi for overflight permissions.
According to tbsnews.net, discussions with Pakistani authorities had been ongoing for several months to reopen the Dhaka-Karachi route, which last saw direct operations in 2012.
The re-launch follows formal approval from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, allowing Biman to operate on the route and use designated air corridors within Pakistani airspace.
Plans to restart the flights were first announced in August last year during the visit of Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Dhaka.
Dar’s visit marked the first such high-level engagement between Pakistan and Bangladesh in over a decade and came amid growing diplomatic, trade, and people-to-people engagement following the fall of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime in 2024.
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