Biman Bangladesh Airlines is going to fly on the Dhaka-Tokyo direct flight route soon.
The operation comes after the government has signed a new agreement with its Japanese counterpart to open a new direct flight from Dhaka to Tokyo.
Earlier, Biman shut down its flights to some destinations in a bid to cut losses.
The Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Khurshid Alam Chowdhury signed the deal for the country on Friday in Tokyo in presence of the Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, said sources in the ministry.
“Through this deal, we are very close to meeting the demand for Dhaka-Tokyo direct flight and I am very hopeful about the success of this flight route,” Menon told the Dhaka Tribune after coming back to Dhaka on Friday.
He said under the deal Biman can fly to Tokyo via Bangkok, which will bring more tourists to the country.
Biman sources said a lot of passengers travel to Tokyo from Dhaka every day through different routes and Biman can bring all of them on its board.
But when asked, Biman officials were found to have a very little knowledge about the deal.
Biman, the national flag carrier, currently maintains flights on 19 international routes, including Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Dammam, Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Kolkata, Kuwait City, London, Muscat, Riyadh, Rome and Singapore.
Menon also attended the meeting with his Japanese counterpart in a bid to explore Foreign Direct Investment or PPP for proposed Exclusive Tourist Zone at Sabrung under Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar district.
He also held meetings with Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Kazuyuki Nakane and State minister for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Kitagwa on several bilateral issues including tourism and civil aviation.
Menon also discussed how to establish an exclusive tourist zone with the assistance of Japanese government in a meeting with senior executives from famous resort developers of Japan, Tokyu Fudosan and Mitsui Fudosan.
