(MENAFN- Bangladesh Monitor) Dhaka : The flag carrier Eyptair has announced to launch direct flights on Dhaka-Cairo route from November 1 with two weekly services. This comes as great news for travel enthusiasts who wish to visit Egypt to see the great pyramids.
Earlier, various airlines operated Dhaka-Cairo flights with transits in Middle Eastern countries which took several hours. From November, with an Egyptair flight, it would take six hours and five minutes for a passenger to reach Cairo, bringing down the time taken by the existing flights by half.
"The starting of flights from November will be a milestone for our bilateral relations," said Haytham Ghobashy, Ambassador of Egypt in Dhaka, at the event.
The embassy, in association with Egyptair, Air Cairo and ALO Dhaka Aviation, organised a ceremony for local media and stakeholders, including travel and tour operators, to celebrate the beginning of the bilateral air connectivity.
Ghobashy said many Bangladeshi nationals who live abroad can also travel by Egyptair to onward destinations across the world in the airline's network, taking transit in Cairo.
Exceptionally, onward passengers from Bangladesh to destinations like US and Canada will get free stopover at Cairo, announced the airline at an event held at InterContinental Dhaka on September 11, the ambassador added.
"Egyptians have a high regard for the people of Bangladesh and are very inclined to visit this country," Ghobashy said.
It may be mentioned here, about 25,000 Bangladeshis flew to Egypt annually before the Covid-19 pandemic, and there are more than 25,000 Bangladeshi students enrolled at different Egyptian universities, especially the Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
The commencement of Egyptair's direct flights from Dhaka to Cairo will offer a great opportunity to various stakeholders intending to visit Egypt, Europe, and North America via the airline.
Additionally, the direct flights would facilitate business travel, cargo shipping, hosting Bangladeshi students in Egyptian universities, and tourists who would come to explore the multifaceted Egyptian tourism industry, Ghobashy added.
The approximate return fare is UD 850-950, much lower than the current fares that range from USD 1,350-1,450, added the envoy.
Egyptair will operate Airbus A330s, A300s and Boeing's Dreamliner aircraft on the route.
The increased connectivity between Bangladesh and Egypt will create great opportunities for businesses to investment in each other.
Speading on the occasion, Syed Ali Samy, CEO of ALO Dhaka Aviation, the General Sales Agent of Egyptair in Bangladesh, mentioned, many Egyptians know Bangladesh through Bishwa Ijtema, the second-largest congregation of Muslims in the world after Hajj.
"However, we want to attract more Egyptians through tourism in Cox's Bazar, Sylhet and Bandarban," he added.
Samy further mentioned that they will announce a number of packages for the passengers and tour operators to encourage people to visit Egypt and its historic tourist sites.
One of the top tourist destinations globally, Egypt is home to millennia-old monuments in the Nile Valley. The major attractions include pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza and the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.
Egyptair, headquartered at the Cairo International Airport, operates scheduled passenger and freight services to over 120 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas with a fleet of 69 aircraft.
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