US-Bangla Airlines, a private airlines in Bangladesh, on Thursday inaugurated a direct flight on the Dhaka-Jeddah route to facilitate travel for Muslims performing Hajj and Umrah.
The 436-seater Airbus 330-300 will depart daily from Dhaka at 5:15pm and arrive in Jeddah at 9:10pm local time. The return flight will leave Jeddah at 11:10pm and reach Dhaka at 8:55am.
An inaugural ceremony, chaired by civil aviation and tourism minister Muhammad Faruk Khan, was held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka.
US-Bangla Airlines CEO Lutfor Rahman announced that with the addition of Jeddah, the airline served 13 international destinations with a fleet of 24 aircraft then.
The minimum one-way fare on the Dhaka-Jeddah route, including tax and surcharge, will be Tk 53,189, and the round-trip fare will be Tk 90,718. Passengers can carry 30 kilograms of luggage to Jeddah and 50 kilograms on the return flight to Dhaka.
Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh president M Shahadat Hossain Taslim urged the authorities to consider reducing flight fares for Hajj pilgrims.
Aviation expert and The Bangladesh Monitor editor Kazi Wahidul Alam highlighted high fuel prices, taxes, landing and parking charges, and the lack of government subsidies as major challenges for private airlines in Bangladesh.
NOVOAIR managing director Mofizur Rahman criticised the government鈥檚 aviation policies as not being business-friendly.
Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan acknowledged the challenges in the aviation sector and promised discussions with stakeholders to address existing issues.
He noted that while many development projects had been completed, others remain unfinished due to the sector鈥檚 technological demands and long development timelines.
The ceremony was attended by Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh chairman air commodore Sadiqur Rahman Chowdhury, US-Bangla Airlines managing director Md Abdullah Al Mamun, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport executive director group captain Muhammed Kamrul Islam, and representatives from various associations.
In addition to domestic routes, US-Bangla Airlines operates international flights to Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Male, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Gwangju, Chennai, and Kolkata.