DHAKA: Bangladesh and Pakistan will resume direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi on January 29, Biman Bangladesh Airlines announced on Thursday, marking the first regular air service between the two countries since 2012. The route will be operated twice weekly.
“We are relaunching the Dhaka-Karachi route with two weekly flights,” airline manager Bosra Islam told AFP.
In a statement, Biman Bangladesh Airlines said the resumption of direct flights “will significantly improve connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan, supporting business travel, tourism, and family reunions.” Currently, travelers between the two countries are on connecting flights through Gulf hubs such as Dubai and Doha.
From January 29, Biman Bangladesh Airlines starting twice-a-week flights between Dhaka and Karachi. pic.twitter.com/rdgEG4fn7F
— Pakistan Aviation News 🇵🇰 (@avpak3) January 7, 2026
The resumption of flights follows the restart of cargo shipping from Karachi to Bangladesh’s key port of Chittagong in November 2024.
Diplomatic ties between the two nations have strengthened in recent months. Last month, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, expressed hope that direct flights would begin in January during a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh had been strained during the rule of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, following her exile after a popular revolt, ties have improved markedly. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq traveled to Dhaka for the funeral of Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, in December. In August 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also visited Dhaka and met Yunus.
The revival of the Dhaka-Karachi flight is seen as a step toward enhanced people-to-people contact, trade, and stronger bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
