Foreign flights resume at Osmani airport with Oman’s SalamAir from 1 September
Three weekly services may lower travel costs for expatriates.
Foreign airline services are set to resume at Osmani International Airport after eight years, with Oman-based SalamAir launching direct flights between Sylhet and Muscat on 1 September.
Osmani International Airport Director Hafiz Ahmed said the airline would initially operate three weekly return flights, while several other foreign carriers could begin services from the airport by December.
"The new service will offer comparatively lower fares for Sylhet residents living in Oman," he said.
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SalamAir Sylhet Area In-Charge Selim Al Razi said the airline's network covers the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Europe.
"We currently operate regular flights to 38 destinations, and the network continues to expand," he said.
The Sylhet service will mark the return of regular flights by a foreign carrier to Osmani airport for the first time since Dubai-based Flydubai suspended operations in September 2018.
Flydubai was the first foreign airline to operate from the airport. It launched Sylhet-Dubai flights on 1 April 2015, initially running five weekly services before introducing daily flights as passenger demand increased.
The airline has recently expressed interest in resuming flights from Sylhet. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam Rita recently told parliament that the government would provide the necessary policy support.
Former Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) Sylhet president Abdul Jabbar Jalil said Flydubai could resume services towards the end of this year.
An Osmani airport official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said UAE-based Air Arabia was also preparing to connect Sylhet with Dubai through Sharjah. The service could begin late this year or early next year, he said.
Abdul Jabbar Jalil said the airport's capacity remained underused despite longstanding demands from Sylhet residents for regular services by foreign airlines.
"Sylhet residents have long demanded flights by foreign airlines. If the initiative succeeds, the region's large expatriate population will directly benefit," he said.
