Dhaka: Biman Bangladesh Airline’s resumption of direct flights on Dhaka–Karachi route will be saving passengers significant time as well as BDT 30,000 in fares.
Effective January 29, the flag carrier will be resuming flights to Karachi, allowing passengers to have direct connectivity after more than a decade. Initially, Biman will be operating direct flights on a trial basis till March 30.
One-way fare one the route begins from BDT 30,899 and return fare from BDT 56,903, as per a report by Bangladesh Shangbad Shangstha (BSS), marking significant reduction than the current transit fares.
At present, economy-class return tickets by international airlines between Dhaka and Karachi on routes with transits in Middle Eastern hubs cost between BDT 88,000 and BDT 120,000, added the report.
In the absence of direct connectivity, passengers are currently having to travel via Dubai, Doha, or Sharjah, significantly increasing travel time and cost.
While direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi typically takes up to 4.5 hours, passengers currently face average travel times ranging from 8.5 to 13 hours, depending on transit schedules, further mentioned the report.
Already, over 80 percent of air tickets on the route has been sold, said a spokesperson for Biman. The airline will operate twice weekly flights from Dhaka to Karachi on Thursdays and Saturdays.
The flights will depart Dhaka at 8:00 pm and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 pm, while return flights will depart Karachi at 12:00 am and reach Dhaka at 4:20 am the following day.
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