US-Bangla Airlines launched maiden direct flights to the Maldives’ capital Male on Friday.
A 164-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft of the private carrier left Dhaka for Male at 10:55 am carrying 129 passengers in its first flight on this route.
The private carrier will initially operate flights on the Dhaka-Male route on every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
The minimum fare on the Dhaka-Male route, including all taxes and surcharges, has been fixed at Tk29,508 one-way and Tk45,545 for return.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali inaugurated the flight in a ceremony arranged at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
He said direct flights will play an important role in reviving tourism between the two SAARC countries as well as connecting the air routes.
He said Bangladesh’s aviation sector will grow by three times in next 15 years.
Three more private airlines will take to the skies next year, he said.
