Dhaka [Bangladesh], February 3 : Karachi-based airline Fly Jinnah is set to operate Dhaka-Karachi flights soon, Bangladeshi government officials said on Monday.
After the launch of a direct shipping line between Chittagong in Bangladesh and Karachi in Pakistan, a direct air link between the two countries will be launched soon, they said.
"Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has approved a proposal of Fly Jinnah to operate direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan", said Abdul Naser Khan, Additional Secretary to Bangladesh's Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
"We will sign a deal to resume Dhaka-Karachi direct flights", he told ANI, without elaborating.
Recently, Bangladesh signed a deal with Pakistan to import 50,000 tonnes of rice, the officials said.
Bangladesh's interim government had earlier lifted the visa restrictions against Pakistan.
In January, Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Pakistan Iqbal Hussain Khan said, "Now the relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have started a new era. The relations are going to be strengthened in multidimensional ways. The direct flights between the two countries have not yet been established. But it is a demand of the people of both sides of the two countries."
Khan also mentioned that Bangladeshi patients have begun travelling to Pakistan for medical treatment, further boosting people-to-people connections.
Khan further explained, "Both sides are working to facilitate the concerning airlines to start the connections as early as possible. So far I know, from Bangladesh's side, Bangladesh (Biman) Airlines, which is our national carrier, has planned to operate Dhaka to Karachi to London ways also this country has started working."He made these comments during a seminar in Peshawar, and his speech was uploaded on YouTube by BNN News.
The Bangladesh High Commissioner's visit to Peshawar is part of his ongoing travels across Pakistan, including recent visits to Lahore and Multan. The High Commissioner expressed optimism about the potential impact of direct flight services, stating, "I am confident that after starting the direct flight connections, a high momentum will be started for trade, business, investment, education, and tourism." This move is expected to further strengthen the ties between the two nations in multiple sectors.
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