The New Nation - Internet Edition

Best Air, the country's third private airliner, would starts its direct Dhaka-Colombo route from July 28 ahead of SAARC summit to carry passengers from Bangladesh.

"Yes, we have got the permission of Sri Lankan Civil Aviation

Authority this afternoon and we will start our operation from July 28," Best Air spokesperson Tito Siddique told UNB on Thursday.

Initially the lone Boeing 737-200, already in operation on

Dhaka-Bangkok route, will be pressed on Dhaka to Colombo route.

"As two of our leased aircrafts are in the pipeline, we have to use our Boeing aircraft for this route also," he said.

The airliner got the permission to operate seven flights a week, but it has not decided how many they will operate at the initial stage.

Two aircraft, MD-83 and ERJ-145, are going to be added to the fleet of Best Airto to fly on Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka-Dubai and Dhaka-Kolkata routes.

The 162-seat MD-83 will fly to Kuala Lumpur and Dubai routes while the 50-seat ERJ-145 will fly on Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Kolkata and Dhaka-Bangkok routes. Both the aircraft will be brought under dry lease system.

Best Air has already got permission from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh to operate four flights a week on Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur route.

Negotiations are on with Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority, which are in the final stage.

Best Aviation started its journey in 1999 as helicopter operator and then started its operation as a Freighter Airline in 2000. It

obtained license in 2006 from the Civil Aviation Authority to operate Passenger Service in the international and domestic sectors. The company launched its passenger fleet with Boeing 737-200, which was the first in Bangladesh.

The airliner started its operation on the country's busiest Dhaka-Chittagong route on January 14 this year with a single Boeing 737-200. It operates flight to Bangkok four days a week with the same Boeing.

The aviation industry in Bangladesh has marked a boom with the launch of three private airlines in the last one year. Yet another is set to start commercial flights next month.

The industry is growing 7.5 to 8 percent a year, while the market size of passengers is worth around Tk 3,500 crore, according to private operators.