KARACHI – Direct flights between Karachi and Dhaka are set to start from this January, marking historic revival in connectivity after nearly ten years. The announcement came after a high-profile meeting in Dhaka between Pakistan’s High Commissioner Imran Haider and Bangladesh’s Interim Government Head Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Imran Haider said, “Direct flights between Karachi and Dhaka are expected to start from January,” in new era of travel, trade, and collaboration between the two countries.
During talks, both sides expressed strong commitment to expanding trade, investment, and aviation, while also exploring deeper cultural, educational, and medical exchanges. Plans were discussed to send experts to each other’s countries, aiming to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Haider revealed impressive figures, noting that trade Islamabad Karachi and Dhaka surged by 20% over past two years, with business communities actively exploring new investment opportunities. He also highlighted the growing cultural ties, with Bangladeshi students showing keen interest in higher education in Pakistan, particularly in medical sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.
More Bangladeshi patients are traveling to renowned Pakistani hospitals for liver and kidney transplants, and Pakistan is ready to provide training and educational opportunities in transplantation and related medical fields for Bangladeshi students.
Welcoming these developments, Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus emphasized the importance of enhancing travel, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people ties across SAARC countries, while calling for the strengthening of trade and investment between Pakistan and Bangladesh. He expressed hope that under Imran Haider’s tenure, both nations will explore even greater opportunities for business and cooperation.
The renewed warmth in relations comes after years of stagnation, following the end of Bangladesh’s Awami League government. Earlier this year, in February, Bangladesh granted permission for Pakistan’s private airline Fly Jinnah to operate direct flights between Karachi and Dhaka.
This will be the first time in nearly a decade that direct flights between the two countries will resume, with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) having last operated flights to Dhaka in 2015.
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