DHAKA: US-Bangla Airlines, Bangladesh's largest airline by aircraft size, has launched direct flights from Dhaka to Jeddah amid growing demand for travel to Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural flight was launched by Civil Affairs and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan on Thursday evening.
“We have started flights from Dhaka-Jeddah as part of our long-term expansion plan,” Kamrul Islam, the carrier's general manager, told Arab News.
“Focusing on the Jeddah route, we introduced Airbus with a 436-seat aircraft. Inshallah, in the coming days, we will make flights to other places in the Kingdom, such as Riyadh and Dammam.
Flights from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to Jeddah are operated daily by Airbus 330 aircraft.
The airline is tapping into the growing market for Middle East travel. There are too few flights to Saudi Arabia to meet the needs of the approximately 3 million Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom.
“There is a huge demand (for flights) from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East,” Islam said.
Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia “have been demanding for a long time to send a flight to the Kingdom, and with this Jeddah flight we have also tried to fulfill their request,” he added.
The plan is also to serve hundreds of thousands of pilgrims going on the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages every year.
“Since the first flight to Jeddah, we have started carrying Umrah passengers. Along with the launch of flights to Jeddah, we have introduced plans to transport Hajj pilgrims with the Bangladesh flag carrier Biman. It will facilitate the journey of the pilgrims to the holy land,” said Islam.
Last year, the high demand for air tickets from Bangladesh to the Middle East during the Hajj season caused prices to skyrocket, deterring would-be pilgrims from taking the trip. spiritual.
Founded in 2010, US-Bangla Airlines started as a domestic carrier and expanded its routes to international destinations. It currently serves 13 locations in 10 countries.
With the acquisition of the latest Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 aircraft earlier this year, the carrier has become Bangladesh's largest airline by aircraft size.
With the addition, the US-Bangla fleet now has 24 aircraft, while the Biman flag carrier has 21.
