Dhaka-Karachi direct flights to resume on January 29 after 14-year hiatus

• Dhaka-Karachi flights restart as ties between nations warm.
• Dhaka-Karachi flights to resume twice weekly from January 29.
• Cargo ships resumed between two countries in November 2024.
  

Bangladesh and Pakistan are to resume direct flights after more than a decade, Dhaka’s national airline said on Thursday, as ties warm and regional power balances shift.

Bangladesh national airline is scheduled to fly its first Dhaka-Karachi flight on January 29 and will be operated twice weekly, the first regular flights since 2012.

“We are relaunching the Dhaka-Karachi route with two weekly flights,” airline manager Bosra Islam told AFP on Thursday.

“The resumption of direct flights will significantly improve connectivity between Bangladesh and Pakistan, supporting business travel, tourism, and family reunions,” the country’s national airline said in a statement.

Travellers between Bangladesh and Pakistan must currently use connecting flights through Gulf hubs such as Dubai and Doha.

Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since a student-led revolt overthrew Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, ending her autocratic 15-year rule.

Relations between Bangladesh and Hasina’s old ally India turned frosty after her ouster, while ties with Pakistan have warmed.

Cargo ships resumed sailing from Karachi to Bangladesh’s key port of Chittagong in November 2024.

Trade has risen since then, and cultural ties have grown, with popular Pakistani singers performing in Dhaka, while Bangladeshi patients are travelling to Pakistan for medical care.