After 14 Years, Bangladesh and Pakistan Reconnect the Skies as Direct Flights Resume
After more than a decade of waiting, Bangladesh and Pakistan have reopened a direct air link, marking a quiet but meaningful shift in relations between the two South Asian nations. The first regular direct flight in 14 years took off yesterday, reconnecting Dhaka with Karachi and ending a long period where travelers were forced to rely on indirect routes through Gulf hubs like Dubai or Doha.
Bangladesh and Pakistan share a deeply complex history. Once part of the same country, they were separated by the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. Since then, the two nations have maintained an uneasy relationship, shaped by political changes, regional dynamics, and historical memory. Direct flights were last suspended in 2012, making travel costly, time-consuming, and emotionally distant for families, students, and business communities on both sides.
The resumption of flights is being seen as more than just a transportation update. Biman Bangladesh Airlines operated the first Karachi-bound flight, carrying around 150 passengers. Among them was Mohammad Shahid, who described the moment as long overdue. He shared that the lack of direct flights had limited him to visiting every few years, despite the need to travel more frequently. For him and many others, this route is about staying connected to people, not just places.
Under the new arrangement, direct flights will operate twice a week. According to Biman, the move is expected to strengthen trade and commerce, widen educational opportunities, and deepen cultural exchanges between the two countries. These expectations are already backed by recent developments. Cargo shipping between Karachi and Bangladesh’s Chittagong port resumed in November 2024, helping revive trade links that had been dormant for years.
Diplomatic warmth has grown since major political changes in Bangladesh in 2024, when a student-led uprising ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. Since then, Dhaka’s relations with Islamabad have improved, while its ties with New Delhi have cooled. This regional realignment has opened doors for renewed cooperation between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Cultural and humanitarian connections are also seeing a revival. Pakistani singers have performed in Dhaka to enthusiastic audiences, while Bangladeshi patients have traveled to Pakistan for medical treatment. These exchanges reflect a growing willingness on both sides to look beyond past tensions and focus on shared human needs.
At its heart, the return of direct flights is not just about diplomacy or economics. It is about parents seeing children without exhausting detours, students exploring opportunities without barriers, patients reaching care faster, and ordinary people feeling that borders are a little less heavy than before. Sometimes, progress does not arrive with loud declarations, but with a plane quietly lifting off the runway, carrying hope along with its passengers.