A Bangladesh private airline, Best Air, launched its maiden flight to Colombo on Monday, resuming a direct air link between Dhaka and the Sri Lankan capital, officials said. Flights between the two capitals, previously operated by Sri Lanka's state carrier, were suspended in 2002 following a bomb blast in Colombo.
The link was restored on the eve of the 15th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), due to be held in Colombo on August 2-3. Best Air chairman M. Haider Uzzaman told Reuters.
The leaders of the SAAC countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - will discuss regional co-operation, including trade and tourism, in the two-day summit, foreign ministry officials in Dhaka said. Haider said Best Air would also fly from Colombo to Male, the Maldives capital, beginning on Monday.
"The direct air link will boost economic, social and cultural communications among the SAARC countries," Haider said, adding that Best Air would fly on the Dhaka-Colombo-Male route twice a week initially.
Best Air is the latest Bangladeshi carrier to fly on international routes after state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines and private GMG Airlines. Best Air opened its overseas operations by flying to Bangkok in May. Company officials said Best Air, which started its flight to Colombo and Male with a single Boeing 737-200, was targeting thousands of Sri Lankans working in Bangladesh.
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