Arab News, Thu, Aug 01, 2024 | Muharram 26, 1446
US-Bangla Airlines given approval to operate regular Dhaka-Jeddah flights
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia is expanding its global air connectivity by allowing US-Bangla
Airlines to operate seven weekly flights between the Kingdom and Bangladesh
starting August 1.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation, through
its air transport and international cooperation sector, has authorized the
airline to perform scheduled passenger flights between the Asian country’s
capital city Dhaka, and the Saudi coast city Jeddah.
The initiative is in line with GACA’s ongoing
efforts to enhance air connectivity and link the Kingdom with the world,
aligning with the Saudi Vision 2030 objectives of establishing the nation as a
global logistics hub and opening new travel horizons.
It also harmonizes with the Kingdom’s National
Aviation Strategy, which aims to boost tourism by enhancing the country’s appeal
as a destination through improved air access and services.
In a similar move, GACA announced on July 29 that
it had authorized Air Samarkand to begin two weekly passenger flights from
Samarkand to Jeddah during the summer season of 2024.
These two recent approvals follow the Kingdom’s
decision in April to grant China Southern Airlines approval to operate flights
from Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen to the Saudi capital.
As per the announcement at that time, the travel
schedule announced included four-passenger or commercial flights, as well
as three air cargo trips a week.
These approvals are issued under the Saudi Air
Connectivity Program, which was established in 2021 to streamline market entry
and promote expansion opportunities for air travel partners in the Kingdom.
Through the development of new routes, the ACP
aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in tourism air connectivity.
Speaking to Arab News at the last Future Aviation
Forum, held in May in Riyadh, Ali Rajab, executive vice president of air
transport and international cooperation at GACA, highlighted the Kingdom’s
ambitious plans for air connectivity, aiming to increase the number of
destinations served by the country’s airports.
“We will have by 2030, 250 destinations that would
reach to Saudi Arabia. In 2019, we were only 99, And today we have reached 149
destinations,” Rajab said.
He also expressed confidence that by 2030, the
Kingdom will emerge as the leading country within its region in terms of
aviation and will rank fifth globally in the industry.