The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has announced preparations to facilitate the commencement of flight operations for two new foreign carriers, Ethiopian Airlines and Air China, to and from Bangladesh starting next month (May).

CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Mafidur Rahman stated that preparations are underway to support the operations of Ethiopian Airlines and Air China as part of Bangladesh's aspiration to become an aviation hub. The CAAB has notified the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry and instructed Biman Bangladesh Airlines to provide ground handling services for the new airlines.

Ethiopian Airlines is gearing up to launch direct flights between Addis Ababa and Dhaka from the third week of May, initially operating five weekly flights. The airline's General Sales Agent (GSA) in Bangladesh, Shohag Hossain, expressed optimism about the route, highlighting its connectivity to major cities in Europe and North America from Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines plans to increase the frequency to daily flights using Boeing Dreamliner 787 soon after the commercial schedule flights commence in Bangladesh.

The air service agreement between Ethiopia and Bangladesh was signed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 6 last year, following diplomatic efforts and consultations between the two countries.

Air China, on the other hand, will operate two weekly flights on the Dhaka-Beijing-Dhaka route, catering to the growing people-to-people contact between China and Bangladesh. Currently, Dhaka has direct flights to two Chinese cities, Kunming and Guangzhou, necessitating travelers between the two countries to transit through other Chinese cities. Air China's operations will enhance connectivity, offering a total of 452 routes, including 112 international and regional routes.

As of December 2023, Air China's fleet comprises 497 aircraft, including models from Airbus (A319, A319neo, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo, A330, A350) and Boeing (B737, B737 MAX 8, B747, B777, B787).