Flight operations between Bangladesh and India have resumed under an 'air bubble' arrangement after a four-month closure forced by the coronavirus pandemic.
Biman Bangladesh and US-Bangla Airlines operated two flights from Dhaka to two different destinations in India on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
Biman’s flight left Dhaka for Kolkata at 11am, said its spokeswoman Tahera Khandaker.
The number of passengers on the Kolkata-bound flight could not be confirmed immediately.
Another flight of Biman returned to Dhaka from Kolkata carrying 68 passengers on the same day, Khandaker added.
The US-Bangla flight left Dhaka for Chennai with 135 passengers on board. Another 129 people returned from Chennai as well, said company spokesman Md Kamrul Islam.
The flag carrier and US-Bangla announced their flight schedules a day before the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, or CAAB, issued a statement over the resumption of flights between Bangladesh and India.
Biman said it will operate two flights on Dhaka-Kolkata route on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Sept 7. Flight operations will resume on Dhaka-New Delhi route on Sundays and Wednesdays from Sept 8.
US-Bangla Airlines flights will depart Dhaka for Chennai on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30am. It will leave Chennai for Dhaka at 1:30pm.
Bangladesh started operating flights to and from India in October 2020 under the 'air bubble' agreement amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But in April, air connectivity between the two neighbours was suspended after the pandemic took a catastrophic turn in India.