DHAKA: The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh announced on Thursday that the number of weekly flights to Saudi Arabia would nearly double and Saudi carriers will get access to another two airports to enable more routes to Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah and Jeddah.
Under a new cooperation agreement between the civil aviation authorities of both countries, the number of weekly passenger flights has been increased from 49 to 84 to meet growing passenger demand.
“One of the main beneficiaries of this will be Bangladeshi Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. The additional flights will play an important role in dealing with the additional passenger pressure,” CAAB chairman Air Vice Marshal Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq told reporters.
“The new agreement has also created an opportunity to expand the use of regional international airports in the country, as well as Dhaka. By increasing the scope of flight operations of Saudi Arabia’s designated airlines to Chittagong and Sylhet, there is an opportunity to expand direct connections with Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah and Jeddah.”
The agreement also provides for code-sharing, allowing airlines to enter various commercial arrangements and giving Bangladeshi passengers access to a wider international network.
It also adds 21 cargo flights per week, giving Bangladesh the opportunity to export fresh produce to the Saudi market, and allows designated Bangladeshi carriers to operate cargo services to destinations in Europe through the Kingdom’s ports.
The increased number of flights will immediately ease travel strains on members of the nearly 4 million Bangladeshi diaspora in Saudi Arabia, as well as Hajj and Umrah pilgrims who have been struggling with skyrocketing airfares since the beginning of the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.
Since 2020, one-way ticket prices have increased to over $400 from about $250 and demand keeps on growing.
Catering to it, Riyadh Air, the Kingdom’s new national carrier, entered the Bangladeshi market last week with a Riyadh-Dhaka route.
“There has been increasing demand among our migrants in the Kingdom,” said Manzur Murshed, an industry leader and former president of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh.
“If all five operators — Biman, Saudia, Flynas, Riyadh Air, and US-Bangla — together operate the weekly passenger flights, it would reduce the airfare, helping our migrants a lot.”
The opening of Sylhet and Chittagong airports for Saudi carriers will connect the two main migrant-worker sending regions — northeastern and southeastern Bangladesh — directly with their destination.
“Earlier, only our state-owned Biman operated flights to Saudi Arabia from Chattogram and Sylhet.
“If Saudi airlines operate flights from Sylhet and Chattogram, it would also provide relief to migrant workers. It would save them time and money by allowing them to fly from their nearest airports instead of having to travel to Dhaka.”
