Sri Lanka's state-owned budget carrier Mihin Lanka Airlines is expected to launch direct flights between Dhaka and Colombo in August to cut travel time.
Insiders said the introduction of direct flights on the Dhaka-Colombo route would reduce travel time to around three hours from more than 10 hours at present. Passengers now travel between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka via connecting flights.
The carrier is likely to fly twice a week on Dhaka-Colombo-Dhaka route.
“It (Mihin Lanka Airlines) wants to start direct flights service between Dhaka and Colombo sometime in August,” Kazi Zahurul Qyyum, director of Wings Aviation Ltd, general sales agent (GSA) of Mihin Lanka Airlines in Bangladesh, told The Daily Star.
Qyyum said the airline has already got permission of Bangladesh's civil aviation authority to commence flights.
Mihin Lanka is the first Lankan carrier that will come to Bangladesh six years after Sri Lankan Airlines suspended its flights to Dhaka.
In July 2008, Bangladesh's private airline Best Air--presently grounded on financial crunch-- began direct flights on the route. The airline suspended flights in a couple of months after launching operation.
Except for the months when Best Air operated on the route, almost 5,000 Bangladeshi and Sri Lankans had to travel between the two countries via Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India.
Transit flights also push up the costs of travels for passengers, the aviation industry said.
“Now it takes more than 10 hours to reach my country because we have to fly via connecting routes,” said HMTD Herath, minister at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Dhaka.
He said the introduction of a direct air link would cut travelling time to nearly three hours.
At present, more than 20 local and foreign airlines are operating in Bangladesh skies to carry mainly migrant workers, students, business travellers and tourists.
link: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=144402
Insiders said the introduction of direct flights on the Dhaka-Colombo route would reduce travel time to around three hours from more than 10 hours at present. Passengers now travel between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka via connecting flights.
The carrier is likely to fly twice a week on Dhaka-Colombo-Dhaka route.
“It (Mihin Lanka Airlines) wants to start direct flights service between Dhaka and Colombo sometime in August,” Kazi Zahurul Qyyum, director of Wings Aviation Ltd, general sales agent (GSA) of Mihin Lanka Airlines in Bangladesh, told The Daily Star.
Qyyum said the airline has already got permission of Bangladesh's civil aviation authority to commence flights.
Mihin Lanka is the first Lankan carrier that will come to Bangladesh six years after Sri Lankan Airlines suspended its flights to Dhaka.
In July 2008, Bangladesh's private airline Best Air--presently grounded on financial crunch-- began direct flights on the route. The airline suspended flights in a couple of months after launching operation.
Except for the months when Best Air operated on the route, almost 5,000 Bangladeshi and Sri Lankans had to travel between the two countries via Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India.
Transit flights also push up the costs of travels for passengers, the aviation industry said.
“Now it takes more than 10 hours to reach my country because we have to fly via connecting routes,” said HMTD Herath, minister at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Dhaka.
He said the introduction of a direct air link would cut travelling time to nearly three hours.
At present, more than 20 local and foreign airlines are operating in Bangladesh skies to carry mainly migrant workers, students, business travellers and tourists.
link: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=144402
