Air Astra to start flights from Nov 24

Bangladesh is going to avail the services of a new private airline for the first time in nine years with Air Astra set to begin its journey in the country through an 8:00am flight from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar on November 24.

With this, Air Astra will become the third private airline in Bangladesh.

The airlines will initially operate three weekly flights on the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka route and two on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Dhaka route.

M Mahbub Ali, state minister for civil aviation and tourism, announced the inauguration of Air Astra at the domestic terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka yesterday.

Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), and top officials of CAAB were also present at the programme.

The minimum one-way fare of the Dhaka to Cox's Bazar flight has been fixed at Tk 4,799 while the minimum one-way fare from Dhaka to Chattogram is set at Tk 3,694.

Harun-ur-Rashid, a Bangladeshi businessman living in Japan, is investing in the airline while US-Bangla Airlines, the largest private airline of the country, is providing technical assistance.

After three months, Air Astra will expand its operations to all seven domestic destinations, adding new aircraft to its fleet.

The new airline has already received the delivery of two ATR 72-600 in Dhaka and two more are scheduled to be delivered within the year.

By 2023, the fleet of Air Astra will grow to 10.

Currently two private airlines -- US-Bangla Airlines and Novoair -- are operating flights on domestic and international routes, along with the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

With the country's economic progress, more people are taking an interest in availing flights every year.

According to CAAB data, the number of passengers on domestic routes was around 45 lakh in 2019.

However, after the Covid-19 pandemic arose, the number of passengers on domestic routes decreased by more than half in 2020.

Their numbers then increased as the pandemic waned and in 2021, there were about 5 million passengers travelling on all domestic routes.

Air Astra's primary parking station will be the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with Sylhet Osmani International Airport acting as an alternative station. If necessary, Air Astra's aircraft will be kept at Sylhet airport at night.

The first private airline, Aero Bengal, started operating in the country in 1997. After that, a total of 12 private airlines were introduced. Of them, only two survived till now.