US-Bangla Airlines has launched direct flights from Dhaka to Jeddah, the gateway to the holy city of Mecca, starting from Thursday.
The inaugural Dhaka-Jeddah flight has been officially launched by the Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism Muhammad Faruk Khan.
US-Bangla Airlines will operate direct flights from Dhaka to Jeddah every day of the week using an Airbus 330-300 with a capacity of 436 seats.
The flight will depart Dhaka at 5:15pm and arrive in Jeddah at 9:10pm local time.
The return flight will leave Jeddah at 11:10pm and land at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:55am.
The minimum one-way fare from Dhaka to Jeddah, including taxes and surcharges, is Tk53,189, while the return fare is Tk90,718.
From Jeddah to Dhaka, the one-way fare starts at 793 SAR, and the return fare is 1,486 SAR. Passengers can carry up to 30kg of luggage free of charge from Dhaka to Jeddah and up to 50kg on the return journey.
The airline Managing Director Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun said they were committed to providing swift connections from Saudi Arabia to any domestic destination within Bangladesh.
Currently, US-Bangla Airlines' fleet consists of two Airbus 330-300s and nine Boeing 737-800s, with 24 aircrafts.
Besides domestic routes, US-Bangla Airlines operates flights to Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Malé, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Chennai, and Kolkata.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Air Commodore Sadiqur Rahman Chowdhury, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), Dhaka Airport Director Kamrul Islam, senior officials from various government and private organizations, and US-Bangla Airlines staff.