DHAKA: US-Bangla Airlines, Bangladesh's largest airline with a fleet of aircraft, has launched direct flights from Dhaka to Jeddah to cater to the growing demand for travel to Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural flight was inaugurated by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Farooq Khan on Thursday evening.
“We have launched the Dhaka-Jeddah flight as part of our long-term expansion plan,” the airline’s general manager Kamrul Islam told Arab News.
“With a focus on the Jeddah route, we have introduced a 436-seat Airbus to our fleet. Inshallah, we will be operating flights to other destinations in the Kingdom such as Riyadh and Dammam in the coming days.”
Daily flights from Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Jeddah are operated by Airbus 330 aircraft.
The airline is tapping into the growing market for Middle Eastern travel. Flights to Saudi Arabia were too few to meet the needs of the kingdom's roughly 3 million Bangladeshi workers.
“There is huge demand for flights from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries,” Islam said.
“Bangladesh workers in Saudi Arabia have been demanding for a long time to open flights to the kingdom and with this Jeddah flight, we have tried to meet their demand,” he added.
The scheme also aims to serve the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who travel each year for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage.
“From our first flight to Jeddah, we have been carrying Umrah passengers. As we start operating flights to Jeddah, we have also included plans to carry Hajj pilgrims with Bangladesh’s national carrier Biman. This will make the journey to the holy city easier for our pilgrims,” Islam said.
Last year, demand for air tickets from Bangladesh to the Middle East during the Hajj season soared, driving up prices and preventing many pilgrims from embarking on their spiritual journey.
Founded in 2010, US-Bangla Airlines started out as a domestic airline and has recently expanded into international routes. It currently serves 13 destinations in 10 countries.
After taking delivery of new Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 aircraft earlier this year, the airline became the largest airline in Bangladesh in terms of fleet size.
With the addition of these aircraft, US-Bangla Airlines will have a fleet of 24 aircraft, while national carrier Biman Airlines will have 21 aircraft.
