DHAKA: US-Bangla Airlines, Bangladesh's largest airline by fleet size, has launched direct flights from Dhaka to Jeddah to cater to the growing demand for travel to Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural flight was launched on Thursday evening by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan.
“We launched the Dhaka-Jeddah flight as part of our long-term expansion plan,” Kamrul Islam, the airline’s managing director, told Arab News.
“Focusing on the Jeddah route, we have introduced Airbus into our fleets with a capacity of 436 seats. Inshallah, in the coming days, we will operate flights to other destinations in the Kingdom, such as Riyadh and Dammam.”
Flights from Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Jeddah are operated every day of the week by an Airbus 330 aircraft.
The airline is tapping into the growing Middle East travel market. Flights to Saudi Arabia have been too few to meet the needs of some 3 million Bangladeshi workers in the kingdom.
“There is a strong demand for flights from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries,” Islam said.
Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia “have long been asking for flights to the Kingdom and with this flight to Jeddah we have tried to satisfy their requests as well,” he added.
The plan is also to serve hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who go on the annual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah.
“Since the first flight to Jeddah, we have started carrying Umrah passengers. With the start of flight operations to Jeddah, we have included a plan to carry our Hajj pilgrims along with Bangladesh's national carrier, Biman. This will facilitate the journey of our pilgrims to the Holy Land,” Islam said.
Last year, huge demand for air tickets from Bangladesh to the Middle East during the Hajj season sent prices skyrocketing, preventing many potential pilgrims from making the spiritual journey.
Founded in 2010, US-Bangla Airlines started as a domestic airline and has recently expanded its routes to become international. It currently serves 13 destinations in 10 countries.
With the latest acquisition of new Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 aircraft earlier this year, the airline has become the largest airline in Bangladesh by fleet size.
With these additions, US-Bangla's fleet now consists of 24 aircraft, while the national flag carrier Biman has 21.
