DHAKA: Bangladesh and Myanmar Thursday signed an agreement to resume direct Dhaka-Yangon flights which were closed down 6 years ago.

Air Vice Marshal Mahmud Hossain, chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and Win Swe Tun, deputy director of Myanmar Department of Civil Aviation, signed the agreement Thursday morning at CAAB headquarters in Dhaka.

After the signing ceremony, Hossain said, “Yangon has become now commercially more viable for our carriers. It’s now a good transit on our way to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.”

Both the neighbors will immensely be benefited commercially through the re-establishment of direct air link, said Win Swe Tun.

Officials expect that the direct air link could be resumed by November.

The Bangladeshi cabinet in June last year approved a proposal for signing the deal with Myanmar to resume direct flight service between Dhaka and Yangon.

Earlier in January last year Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed on launching new bilateral air services in line with international air transport developments.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have been working to re-establish direct air link to connect Yangon and Dhaka after Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier of Bangladesh, stopped its flight between Dhaka and Yangon in 2007 over economic losses.

Source: mizzima.com

BDST: 1920 HRS, AUG 29, 2013
SR/ MMA/Jck eic@banglanews24.com