Finally, Air Astra, the country’s new private airline, started operating commercial flights. On Thursday (November 24), Air Astra’s first flight 2A441 from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport took off for Cox’s Bazar for the first time at 8 am with 100% passengers. From now Air Astra will operate 3 flights on Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar-Dhaka route and 2 flights on Dhaka-Chittagong-Dhaka route. The company will operate flights on all domestic routes of the country in phases.
The minimum one-way fare from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar has been set at Tk. 4,800 and the one-way minimum fare from Dhaka to Chittagong has been set at Tk. 3,695.
On the occasion of the first flight, the officials of the company welcomed the passengers at the airport with flowers. Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the airlines Imran Asif told the media that Air Astra has already taken delivery of two ATR 72-600 aircraft in Dhaka and two more aircraft will be delivered within this year. Air Astra will have a fleet of 10 aircraft by 2023.