Bangladesh allows another Pakistani airline to operate flights

Following Fly Jinnah, another Pakistani carrier, AirSial, has received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) to operate direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“We gave clearance to AirSial to operate a direct flight between Bangladesh and Pakistan. We have sent a letter to the Civil Aviation and Tourism ministry in this regard,” CAAB chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan said on Monday.  

As per standard procedure, the airline will now appoint a General Sales Agent (GSA) in Bangladesh and apply for flight slots accordingly.

Officials said that not only will AirSial connect Bangladesh and Pakistan, but it will also offer Bangladeshi passengers transit options to various international destinations through its network, especially to Middle Eastern countries.

AirSial, a private airline with six Airbus aircraft, based at Sialkot in Pakistan, commenced operations in August 2015.

In February, CAAB approved Pakistan's private airline, Fly Jinnah, to operate direct flights on the Karachi-Dhaka route.

Earlier, speaking to BSS, Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Pakistan, Md. Iqbal Hussain had said that if approved, AirSial may be able to commence flights to Dhaka within two months.

However, he said, that Fly Jinnah is currently in the process of expanding its fleet.