Bangladesh–Pakistan ties: Dhaka to resume direct flights to Karachi from January 29; service restarts after 10-year gap

Bangladesh’s national airline will resume nonstop flights between Dhaka and Karachi later this month, restoring direct air links between Bangladesh and Pakistan after a gap of more than 10 years, officials said on Wednesday.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will begin operating the Dhaka–Karachi service from January 29.





Initially, the airline will run two flights a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays, Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported, citing a press release from Biman.

According to the schedule shared by the airline, the flight will leave Dhaka at 8 pm local time and reach Karachi at 11 pm.

The return service will depart Karachi at midnight and land in Dhaka at 4.20 am.

Direct flights between the two cities were last operated in 2012.

News portal tbsnews.net, quoting Biman officials, said discussions with Pakistani aviation authorities had been underway for several months to reopen the route. The relaunch has now received formal clearance from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, which has approved Biman to operate flights and use designated air corridors within Pakistani airspace.

The move comes amid improving ties between Dhaka and Islamabad following the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024.

Since then, both sides have taken steps to rebuild diplomatic, trade and people-to-people relations after years of strained ties. Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971.

However, it remains unclear whether Bangladesh has obtained overflight permission from India, as the shortest air route between Dhaka and Karachi passes through Indian airspace, according to news agency PTI.

In a statement, Biman said the new service is expected to make travel between Bangladesh and Pakistan “easier and more convenient” and could also support business, tourism and family travel.

The airline added that the flights will be operated using modern aircraft and experienced crews.

As per bdnews24.com, the aerial distance between Dhaka and Karachi is around 2,370 km. Currently, passengers travelling between the two cities have to rely on connecting flights via Middle Eastern hubs.

Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Flydubai, Gulf Air and Air Arabia operate these services, with total travel times ranging from eight to 12 hours, and sometimes extending to over 18 hours due to long layovers.

Plans to revive direct air connectivity were first announced in August last year during the visit of Pakistan’s deputy Prime Minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar to Dhaka.

His trip marked the first high-level visit from Pakistan to Bangladesh in more than a decade, reported PTI.