Egypt Air has launched direct flights to the capital of Bangladesh.
The inaugural flight, operated by a Boeing 787-900, carried 50 passengers and arrived at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka at 7pm on Sunday night.
The return flight, which departed at 8:30 pm for Cairo, accommodated 179 passengers.
The airline will start by operating two flights per week to Dhaka on Wednesdays and Sundays, using a two-class wide-body Boeing 787-900 aircraft with 279 seats in economy and 30 seats in business class.
The flight was welcomed by a water cannon salute ceremony at HSIA, attended by the state minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Mahbub Ali.
"This is a truly historic moment in the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Egypt,” he said.
“I am confident that the direct air connection between the two countries will facilitate bilateral tourism, trade, business, and investment.
"Our present government is working on implementing a plan to establish Bangladesh as a regional hub, which is why we encourage more foreign airlines to commence services to Bangladesh.
In his inaugural speech the chief executive officer of Egypt Air, captain Ihab Al Tahtaway, said: “We are really delighted to come to Bangladesh, which we consider to be a very prospective aviation market.”
Travellers from Bangladesh will have the opportunity to travel to over 80 destinations, spread across Egypt Air’s network in the Middle East, Europe, the US, Africa, and Asia, said Tahataway.
