A new regular scheduled air service between Dubai, Bangladesh's southern port city of Chittagong and the Thai resort city of Phuket will be launched next month by Phuket Air.
Phuket Air, a privately-owned Thai airline, has appointed Nasser Airtravel and Shipping Agencies (NASA) as its general sales agents (GSA) for the UAE.
"We have recently signed an agreement with Phuket Air to represent them in the UAE," said Tufail A. Jalali, general manager of NASA, which holds the GSA for five other carriers.
"Phuket Air will offer a convenient air connectivity to thousands of non-resident Bangladeshi (NRB) nationals based in the Gulf. We are trying to offer a competitive price for the customers as well as allow 60 kilos of baggage which will be of help to most labourers," he said.
Jalali said his company has already approached the NRBs in order to promote the flights. Most Bangla-deshi expatriates working in the Gulf are from the southern port city of Chittagong, which is being groomed as the future commercial capital of Bangladesh.
Dhaka, the country's capital, is overcrowded as it is the capital as well as commercial hub.
However, the government is trying to promote Chittagong as a trading hub. Three of Bangladesh's seven civilian airports can receive wide bodied aircraft - the third being Sylhet which serves London-based NRBs.
The three-weekly flights will leave Dubai at 1.30 am on Fridays, Mondays and Wednesdays and reach Chittagong at 8.10am. The return flights will leave Chittagong at 8.45pm on Thursdays, Sundays and Tuesdays, reaching Dubai at midnight.
Phuket Air will operate Boeing 747s with two-class configuration carrying 16 in business class and 428 in economy class.
"We are offering a 50 per cent discount on the inaugural flights. Though the fare has not been finalised, it will be cheaper than the other carriers. We are looking at Dh1,020, excluding taxes for return flights," said Jalali.
"We are also providing free bus services to those travelling to Dhaka from Chittagong. This will help us attract Dhaka-based passengers as well."
Phuket Air is a new player in the south-east Asian aviation market. It was launched about three years ago. Its fleet comprises five Boeing 747s, three Boeing 737s and four YS 11.
The carrier serves about 11 domestic destinations in Thailand and about a dozen international cities.
Gulf News
