Fly Dhaka set to become country’s newest private airline: CEO

A new airline, Fly Dhaka Airlines, is set to take off by November this year and become the country's 12th private airline operator to enter the industry in the past 25 years.

"We are all set to spread wings of Fly Dhaka as a new airline by November this year," Lt General (retd) Molla Fazle Akbar, chief executive officer of Fly Dhaka Airlines, told The Daily Star.

"Prioritising safe travel coupled with affordability, the airline has already secured its aircraft and is actively addressing various pertinent matters pertaining to the acquisition of the Air Operator's Certificate (AOC)," Fazle Akbar also said.

The airline is advancing through the personnel recruitment process, he added.

"Our aim is not only to establish a robust presence in the domestic market but also to extend our reach to the global arena," he also said. "Towards this end, negotiations with a giant Asian airline is already underway."

The airline plans to commencing operations on domestic routes with ATR 72-600 model aircraft.

Subsequently, for international services, Fly Dhaka Airlines intends to induct Airbus/Boeing aircraft, thereby ensuring safety, efficiency and reliability in its global operations.

Anisul Islam Mahmud, a Jatiya Party lawmaker and a businessman, is the owner of the airlines.

As per the rules, the airlines will get permission to operate flights on international routes after operating flights on domestic routes for at least one year.

In the last 25 years, at least eight private airlines were forced to cease their operation for cash crunch, the latest being Regent Airways in 2022.

With Fly Dhaka coming into operation, the total number of private airlines operating in the country will be four. The three other airlines are Novo Air, US-Bangla Airlines and Air Astra.