Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier, will resume Dhaka-Delhi direct flights on May 13 instead of May 16, with three flights a week initially.
The flights will be operated on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. The flights will depart at 9:00am and reach Delhi at 12:50pm (local time). They will arrive in Dhaka at 3:20pm.
Initially, Biman will deploy one Boeing 737 aircraft with a capacity of 162 seats, including 150 economy and 12 business class seats, on this route.
With the resumption of Dhaka-Delhi flights, Biman will become the single player on this route as no other airline has been operating flights to Delhi from Dhaka presently.
Earlier, the Air India and the Jet Airways used to operate direct flights.
Biman had been operating flights to Delhi since 1980s but suspended the service in 2013.
Biman General Manager Shakil Meraj told the FE that a significant number of passengers travel to Delhi for various purposes such as treatment, tourism, business and government programmes.
Moreover, there is a huge demand for transportation of cargoes, including pharmaceuticals, raw materials and garments, he added.
At present, Biman has 13 aircraft, including two Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Biman is expected to add four more aircraft, including two Boeing 737 and two Dreamliners, this year. Besides, it has a plan to expand its flight operation to three international destinations, including Delhi, Medinah and Guangzhou.
msshova@gmail.com