Air Astra to fly on Dhaka-Saidpur route from today

Air Astra, the youngest commercial airline in Bangladesh, will start operating flights on the Dhaka-Saidpur-Dhaka route from today.

The country's third privately owned airline after US-Bangla and Novoair is scheduled to operate two flights daily on the route with one-way fares starting from Tk 3,490, including taxes.

This will be the fourth domestic destination, where Air Astra is going to run its flights. The three other destinations are: Chattogram, Cox's Bazar and Sylhet.

Imran Asif, chief executive officer of Air Astra, said Saidpur is an important destination in the northern region as it connects eight districts, namely Rangpur, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Thakurgaon.

The flights have been scheduled conveniently keeping the potential travellers in mind. As such, flights will depart from Dhaka for Saidpur at 2:10pm and 8:00pm while return flights will start at 3:40pm and 9:30pm.

Flights will depart from Dhaka for Saidpur at 2:10pm and 8:00pm while return flights will start at 3:40pm and 9:30pm.

Asif emphasised the importance of Saidpur as a crucial destination on the domestic route network.

"We will operate more flights on this route soon. We hope that our valued passengers will appreciate the fantastic service on the ground and in the air," he added.

Mozammel Haque Bhuiya, head of marketing at Air Astra, said there are huge economic and industrial activities at the export processing zones and tea processing units in the country's northern region.

"As a result, the flow of passengers on this route is high," Bhuiya told The Daily Star.

Considering all these factors, Air Astra is going to operate commercial flights on this route, he added.

The airline started operating flights to Chattogram and Cox's Bazar on November 24, 2022, and Sylhet on February 23 earlier this year.

Air Astra operates a fleet of three modern French-built ATR 72-600 aircraft configured with 70 seats. It is the most modern turboprop aircraft in the world with enhanced safety and reliability features.

The airline prioritises safety above all the other operational objectives and has undertaken an initiative to become the first private airline to achieve IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) recognition within the first year of operations.

Apart from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier, two private airlines -- US-Bangla Airlines and Novoair -- are operating flights on the Saidpur route.

US-Bangla is operating 16 flights daily while Novoair is operating 10 flights to and from this popular destination, officials of the two airlines said.