Bangladesh's first private air carrier, GMG Airlines, said on Tuesday it expected to begin international flights in March after winning government approval.
GMG - a rival to state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines - expected to open its international operations in March with twice-weekly flights on two routes not operated by the state carrier. It will fly from Dhaka to Male, via Colombo, and from Chittagong to the northern Thai resort of Chiang Mai.
"The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAB) has decided to award us permission soon to fly on international routes," Shahab Sattar, the managing director and a major shareholder of GMG Airlines, told Reuters.
He said GMG would lease three Boeing 737-300 aircraft for the international flights.
GMG, which began operating in 1998, operates domestic flights with two Canadian Dash 8-100 and one Dash 8-300 aircraft.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines flies to 25 international destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America with a fleet of 12 aircraft.