US-Bangla, one of the country's private airlines, is planning to operate Dhaka-Jeddah Hajj flights in the future. The airline authorities hope that this will reduce the time and suffering of Hajj pilgrims.
US-Bangla Airlines General Manager (Public Relations) Md. Kamrul Islam gave this information at a press conference at Hotel Best Western Heritage in Cox's Bazar on Monday (November 25) night.
The General Manager of US-Bangla Airlines said, every year, a problem arises with the schedule of airlines during Hajj. This shows that Hajj passengers cannot reach Jeddah within the specified time. We have already applied to the authorities to start this flight for their convenience. We hope that we will get permission to start flights on this route in the near future.
He said, for our expatriate brothers and sisters in the Middle East, US-Bangla Airlines is currently operating flights to Muscat, Doha, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi. Most recently, US Bangla is operating flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. In Jeddah, we are not only serving our brothers and sisters, but also trying to serve Umrah Hajj passengers. Through this, the airline launched this flight to serve Saudi expatriates as well as those who are going to perform Umrah Hajj.
Kamrul Islam said, every airline has a dream of operating flights to a state in China. US-Bangla Airlines has turned that dream into reality. This airline has been successfully operating Dhaka-Guangzhou flights since April 26, 2018. During Covid, Bangladesh's flights to all countries of the world were closed except for the Dhaka-Guangzhou route. US Bangla operated flights on that route. From there, we brought masks, PPE, and other necessary medical equipment for Covid and supplied them to various hospitals. We are not only doing business, but we have also tried to serve the country and the people from our place.
Another route is Dhaka-Chennai. There were many passengers on this route but there were no direct flights. We were able to operate flights on that route with just a small decision. We used to operate 6 flights on Chattogram-Kolkata. From there, we operate three flights on Chattogram-Chennai. Due to this, people are now able to travel directly from Chattogram to Chennai through this airline.
He also said that a significant country for Bangladeshi workers is Maldives. But there was no direct flight from Bangladesh to Maldives. The authorities have repeatedly asked Biman Bangladesh Airlines to do so, but they have failed. However, more than 150,000 Bangladeshi workers are working in this island country. But since there is no direct flight from Bangladesh, they had to go from Colombo, Chennai or the Middle East. This would have cost more time and money. To alleviate that suffering, we have launched a direct Dhaka-Maldives flight.
We have planned to launch flights on the Riyadh and Medina routes between April and May. For this, we will have to add Airbus-330 to our fleet. We hope that this will be possible by 2025. In addition, US-Bangla Airlines plans to operate flights to various European countries including Rome, Italy, by 2026, and from Dhaka to New York and Toronto, Canada by 2027, the official said.
It is worth noting that on July 17, 2014, US-Bangla started its journey in the airspace of Bangladesh by operating flights on the Dhaka-Jashore route with Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. As per the plan, US-Bangla has strengthened the air connectivity system in the shortest possible time by operating flights to all airports within Bangladesh within the first one year.
It is operating flights to Jashore, Saidpur, Rajshahi. US-Bangla spread its wings on international routes by operating flights on the Dhaka-Kathmandu route on May 15, 2016, within two years of its launch. US-Bangla's international routes include Kolkata, Chennai, Male, Muscat, Doha, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Guangzhou.
Currently, US-Bangla has 24 aircraft in its fleet. These include 2 Airbus 330-300, 9 Boeing 737-800, 10 ATR 72-600 and 3 Dash 8-Q 400 aircraft. Since its inception, US-Bangla has a record of operating more than 90 percent on-time flights.
US-Bangla has been able to gain the trust of passengers as a domestic airline by setting a unique precedent in passenger service. US-Bangla currently has about 3,000 officers and employees in the country and abroad; which is also working to solve the country's unemployment problem. Apart from this, it is keeping the wheels of the country's economy moving by paying regular taxes and surcharges. Besides, it is increasing the reputation of the country by operating flights on international routes. It is making the country's economy stronger by earning foreign currency.
US-Bangla has a website and mobile app facilities for collecting tickets. It has more than 40 sales offices in the country and abroad. There is a 'Skystar' program for frequent flyers.
