Chittagong, Bangladesh: Bangladesh and Burma yesterday signed a new air services agreement (ASA), creating an opportunity to operate 7 passenger flights and 4 cargo flights a week between the two countries, after a meeting in Rangoon, the foreign ministry said in a January 17th statement .
The agreement was signed after an air services consultation meeting between Bangladesh and Burma.
Air Commodore Mahmud Hussain, Chairman, Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) and U Tin Naing Tun, Director General of the Department of Civil Aviation of Myanmar, led their respective delegations to the meeting.
Under the agreement, operators, including private airlines, will be able to operate passenger and cargo flights. The inclusion of private airlines will help re-establish air connectivity to help develop tourism, increase bilateral trade and people-to-people contact between the two countries.
The CAAB chairman is part of the three-member Bangladesh team, led by Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary, M Ataharul Islam, which is exploring the scope of tourism and the resumption of air services between the two countries.
Last December, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Burma and stressed the need for resumption of the air link between the two countries.
At present, if a passenger wants to go to Rangoon from Dhaka, he/she will have to fly to Rangoon via Bankok, Singapore and Kulalumpur, said a passenger who recently visited Burma from Dhaka, in Bangladesh.
The Dhaka-Rangoon flights were suspended in 2007 due to financial losses.
Officials said the flights could possibly resume in June, 2012.
