After Fly Jinnah, Pakistani private carrier Air Sial applies to operate flights to Dhaka
After Fly Jinnah, another Pakistani private airline, Air Sial, has expressed interest in operating flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin.
"They have applied for permission, and we are considering it," he told reporters on 17 April.
Md Iqbal Hussain, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan, recently told BSS that Fly Jinnah is currently waiting to expand its fleet before launching operations in Dhaka, while Air Sial is expected to begin direct flights within two months of receiving approval.
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The envoy noted that the direct air link is expected to boost tourism and foster greater people-to-people contact between the two countries.
Air Sial, launched in August 2015, is a licensed airline in Pakistan that offers scheduled passenger and cargo services both domestically and internationally.
On 2 September last year, Pakistan High Commissioner in Bangladesh Ahmad Maroof met with the interim government's home affairs adviser.
During the meeting, he emphasised the importance of resuming direct flights between the two countries to strengthen "mutual relations and business interests."
He noted that the last direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan were operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in 2018.
The issue of resuming flights was also raised by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
During a meeting with Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin in Dhaka on 12 January, FPCCI President Atif Ikram said that Pakistani businesses are keen to expand operations in Bangladesh, but challenges such as visa complexities and the absence of direct flights are holding them back.
PIA had earlier suspended its twice-weekly Karachi-Dhaka service, citing poor passenger loads and thin yields.
Before the suspension, in 2015, PIA faced allegations of smuggling counterfeit currency through Dhaka. The airline's Dhaka station manager, Ali Abbas, was detained and later deported to Pakistan.
Following multiple raids on PIA's Dhaka office over the incident, the airline eventually announced the suspension of its operations between the two cities.
