Direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan will resume from January 29, restoring the connectivity after almost a decade. The direct flight will be between Dhaka and Karachi.
As mentioned in the local media reports, initially, Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate twice a week — on Thursdays and Saturdays. The flight will depart Dhaka at 8:00 pm local time and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 pm. The return flight will depart Karachi at 12:00 midnight and arrive in Dhaka at 4:20 am.
The development comes amid growing “friendliness” between Bangladesh and Pakistan following the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime in 2024, with both countries taking steps in recent months to rebuild diplomatic, trade, and people-to-people ties after years of strained relations. Bangladesh was liberated from Pakistan in 1971, following a war.
Though the shortest route between Dhaka and Karachi is through Indian airspace, it is not immediately known whether Bangladesh has secured the necessary clearance from New Delhi for overflight permissions.
The media reports further cite that discussions with the Pakistani regulators had been ongoing for several months to reopen the Dhaka-Karachi route, which last saw direct operations in 2012. This re-launch follows formal approval from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, which has cleared Biman to operate on the route and to use designated air corridors within Pakistani airspace, the officials said.
“The launch of this new route is expected to make passenger travel between Bangladesh and Pakistan easier and more convenient. It will also open up new opportunities for business, tourism, and family travel,” it added.
The new flights will be operated using modern aircraft and experienced flight crews, it said.
The aerial distance between Dhaka and Karachi is around 2,370 km. However, in the absence of direct flights, airlines currently have to route passengers to Pakistan via transit points in Middle Eastern countries.
At present, several airlines, including Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Flydubai, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Thai Airways, operate transit flights from Bangladesh to Pakistan. As a result, travelling from Dhaka to Karachi takes around eight to 12 hours on average, including transit time. On some airlines, the journey can take as long as 18 to 22 hours, it said.
Plans to restart direct flights between Bangladesh and Pakistan were first announced in August last year during the visit of Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Dhaka.
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