line in Bangladesh by fleet size, has launched direct flights from Dhaka to Jeddah amid an increasing demand for travel to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The inaugural flight was launched by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe launched the Dhaka-Jeddah flight as a part of our long-term expansion plan,\u201d Kamrul Islam, the carrier\u2019s general manager, told Arab News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFocusing on the Jeddah route, we have introduced Airbus in our fleets with 436 seat capacity. Inshallah, in the coming days, we will operate flights to other destinations of the Kingdom, like Riyadh and Dammam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flights from Dhaka\u2019s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Jeddah are operated every day of the week on an Airbus 330 aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The airline is tapping into the growing market for Middle East travel. Flights to Saudi Arabia have been too few to accommodate the needs of some 3 million Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is a huge demand for (flights) from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries,\u201d Islam said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bangladeshi workers in Saudia Arabia \u201chave long demanded to launch flights to the Kingdom, and with this Jeddah flight, we tried to fulfill their demands also,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan is also to serve hundreds of thousands of pilgrims traveling for the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom the very first flight to Jeddah, we began carrying the Umrah passengers. With the launching of flight operations to Jeddah, we have included a plan to carry our Hajj pilgrims along with Bangladesh\u2019s national flag carrier Biman. It will ease our pilgrims\u2019 journey to the holy land,\u201d Islam said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year, a huge demand for airplane tickets from Bangladesh to the Middle East during the Hajj season resulted in skyrocketing prices, preventing many prospective pilgrims from embarking on the spiritual journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Founded in 2010, US-Bangla Airlines started as a domestic carrier and has lately expanded its routes to go international. It currently serves 13 destinations in 10 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With its latest acquisition of new Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 aircraft earlier this year, the carrier became the largest airline in Bangladesh by fleet size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the additions, the US-Bangla fleet now consists of 24 aircraft, while the national flag carrier Biman has 21.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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