BANGLADESH and Pakistan will resume direct flights after more than a decade, Dhaka’s national airline said on Thursday, as ties between the two countries improve.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines said its first Dhaka–Karachi flight is scheduled for January 29 and will operate twice a week. These will be the first regular direct flights between the two countries since 2012.
“We are relaunching the Dhaka–Karachi route with two weekly flights,” airline manager Bosra Islam told AFP on Thursday.
Bangladesh and Pakistan, separated by more than 1,500 kilometres by India, were once part of the same country before splitting following a 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.
At present, travellers between Bangladesh and Pakistan have to take connecting flights through Gulf hubs such as Dubai and Doha.
Bangladesh has been facing political turmoil since a student-led revolt overthrew Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, bringing an end to her 15-year rule.
Relations between Bangladesh and India, a close ally of Hasina, have cooled since her removal, while ties with Pakistan have improved.
Cargo ships resumed operations from Karachi to Bangladesh’s main port of Chittagong in November 2024.
Trade between the two countries has increased since then, and cultural exchanges have expanded, with Pakistani singers performing in Dhaka and Bangladeshi patients travelling to Pakistan for medical treatment.
(With inputs from agencies)
