ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh’s flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has announced it will launch direct passenger flights between the cities of Dhaka and Karachi after over 13 years later this month, the airline said on Thursday, as both nations improve historically bitter ties.  

Biman will operate two weekly flights to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city by population and its commercial hub, on Thursdays and Saturdays, the airline’s spokesperson Boshra Islam told Arab News. 

“Biman is launching its Karachi operations on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,” she said, adding that the inaugural flight is scheduled to depart from Dhaka at 8:00 p.m. local time and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 p.m. Pakistan time. 

Pakistan has granted Biman initial permission to operate the route for three months until Mar. 26, according to a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. The approval would be extended later, the official said. 

The restoration of the airline’s flights to Pakistan marks a significant step in restoring direct air connectivity between the two South Asian nations. 

Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until 1971, when the latter split from the former after a bloody civil war and became the independent state of Bangladesh.  

Ties between both have improved significantly since 2024, after the fall of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s government due to a student-led uprising. Hasina was widely viewed in Pakistan as being close to India and openly critical of Islamabad.  

The resumption of passenger flights comes as aviation and trade links between the two countries begin to recover after decades of limited engagement.  

In November last year, state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it had signed a cargo agreement with Biman Bangladesh Airlines aimed at streamlining air freight operations and boosting bilateral trade.  

A PIA spokesperson said the airlines had entered into a Cargo Interline Special Agreement as part of PIA’s strategy to expand its cargo business and offer more competitive services to customers.  

Pakistan has stepped up efforts to rebuild relations with Bangladesh as ties between Dhaka and New Delhi remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina after she fled the country.  

In February last year, a cargo vessel sailed directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh for the first time in decades and successfully unloaded its containers, port officials said. 

The two countries signed six agreements in August 2025 covering areas such as visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders, trade cooperation, media collaboration and cultural exchanges, officials said.