Dhaka, Delhi sign deal to double flights
Bangladesh and India signed an air service agreement on Wednesday raising the number of weekly flights from 30 to 61.
The pact signed in New Delhi will allow Bangladeshi airlines to operate flights to 18 destinations in India and Indian airline Air India to operate flights from Sylhet for the first time, reported our New Delhi correspondent.
Civil aviation authorities of the two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to allow the designated airlines of both the sides to operate seven all-cargo flights per week within their territories by any type of aircraft.
The decisions were reached at a three-day meeting from February 11 to 13 between the two sides in New Delhi. The Bangladesh delegation led by Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Sheikh Altaf Ali went to Delhi on February 9 to attend the meeting.
The 18 Indian destinations are -- Patna, Lucknow, Guwahati, Gaya, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Khajuraho, Aurangabad, Goa, Jaipur, Port Blair, Kochi, Trivandrum, Kozikode, Amritsar, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Tiruchirapalli.
Earlier, Bangladeshi airlines' destinations in India were Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai.
The two countries also agreed to the provision of co-operative marketing arrangement to enhance air services and make it profitable.
However, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd said the increase in number of flights has not been a positive step for Biman as it was not done on the basis of basic air traffic.
Existing flights were enough to carry the passengers of the two countries, said a high official of Biman requesting anonymity.
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