Direct Bangladesh-Pakistan flights to resume after 14 years

DHAKA: Bangladesh and Pakistan are to resume direct flights after more than a decade, Dhaka’s national airline said on Thursday, as ties warm and regional power balances shift.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is scheduled to fly its first Dhaka–Karachi flight on January 29 and will be operated twice weekly, the first regular flights since 2012.

“We are relaunching the Dhaka–Karachi route with two weekly flights,” airline manager Bosra Islam told AFP on Thursday.

Bangladesh and Pakistan — geographically divided by more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) by India — were once one nation. They split after a bitter war in 1971.

“The resumption of direct flights will significantly improve connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan, supporting business travel, tourism, and family reunions,” Biman Bangladesh Airlines said in a statement.

Travelers between Bangladesh and Pakistan must currently use connecting flights through Gulf hubs such as Dubai and Doha.

Relations between Bangladesh and Sheikh Hasina’s old ally India turned frosty after her ouster, while ties with fellow Muslim-majority nation Pakistan have warmed.

Cargo ships resumed sailing from Karachi to Bangladesh’s key port of Chittagong in November 2024.

Trade has risen since then and cultural ties have grown, with popular Pakistani singers performing in Dhaka, while Bangladeshi patients are travelling to Pakistan for medical care.

Pakistan has granted permission to Biman Bangladesh Airlines to operate direct flights, ARY News reported last Friday, citing well-informed sources.

According to sources within the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan, approval has been given for direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi.

Following formal government clearance, the Director General of the CAA authorised the commencement of these direct operations.

Sources said that, initially, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has been granted permission to operate flights for a three-month period, up to 30 March 2026.