Biman to take maiden flight on Sylhet-Cox’s Bazar route Nov 12
Air passengers will get a 15% discount on their travel on the new route
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is set to start its inaugural flight on the Sylhet-Cox's Bazar route on November 12.
The introduction of the new flight is a part of Biman's effort to increase its domestic operations to connect tourist destinations, said Md Mokabbir Hossain, managing director of Biman.
Air passengers will get a 15% discount on their travel on the new route, he said.
The air route map is Dhaka-Sylhet-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka, Dhaka-Cox's Bazar-Sylhet-Dhaka, Dhaka-Sylhet-Cox's Bazar-Sylhet.
Biman will primarily operate a single flight on the three new interconnecting routes on a trial basis, Mokabbir said, adding that more flights would be added to cater to passenger demand.
Currently, there is no flight between Sylhet and Cox's Bazar. Anyone interested in this route must first fly through Dhaka.
The national flag carrier is mulling over the issue of increasing domestic flights through the addition of new small aircraft by next year. This is a move to recover losses since international passengers are unlikely to make extensive travel plans in light of the approaching winter.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasted that air traffic movement would be higher on domestic than on international routes.
Some countries like China, Japan have already seen a moderate improvement in their domestic air travel. IATA suggested airlines should focus on domestic flight operations for faster recovery, according to the press release of the world air operators' platform.
Bangladesh has also experienced a faster improvement in domestic flights since resuming operations on June 1st. Passenger load factor increases to 70%-80% on domestic routes.
To speed up recovery, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) recently lifted in-flight seating restrictions, which has helped air operators to use their full seat capacity.
Biman, which mainly focuses on international travel, now plans to explore new domestic routes for greater interconnectivity.