Bangladesh’s newest private airline, Air Astra, started its journey this morning with hundred percent passengers on flight 2A 441, from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar. Air Astra will operate three flights on Dhaka-Cox's Bazar-Dhaka route and two flights on Dhaka-Chattogram-Dhaka route from today (Thursday), said a press release signed by Sakib Hasan Shuvo, deputy manager (Public Relations) of the organisation. Read more: 'Air Incheon-Korean Airlines’ introduces direct cargo flight from Bangladesh to South Korea The airline will launch flights on all domestic routes in the country in phases, it read.  The minimum one-way fare, from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar, was set at Tk 4,800 and Dhaka-Chattogram Tk 3,695. Read more: Newest private airline ‘Air Astra’ set to start journey Air Astra has already taken delivery of two ATR 72-600 aircraft in Dhaka and two more aircraft are scheduled to be delivered within 2022. By 2023, Air Astra’s fleet will grow to 10 aircraft.

The country's newest private airline “Air Astra” is going to start its commercial operations from November 24 with its maiden flight on Dhaka-Cox's Bazar route. Announcing its formal launching, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali on Tuesday hoped that passengers will be benefited through Air Astra’s entry in the aviation sector with a fair competition among the airlines. “Air Astra's journey has enhanced the choice of domestic routes for passengers. I believe domestic airlines will establish positive competition and cooperation, which will be helpful for passengers,” said Mahbub Ali. Read more: Bangladesh, Uzbekistan discuss air connectivity, code-sharing between airlines He hoped that Air Astra would operate their flights by maintaining service quality and safety. The State Minister also launched the official website of Air Astra during the launching ceremony held at the domestic terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

New Bangladeshi private carrier Air Astra will start operations in November. The airline received the go-ahead from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Thursday. Read: US-Bangla Airlines wins Best Domestic Airlines award Air Commodore Shah Kawsar Ahmed Choudhury, member for flight standards and regulations of CAAB, handed over the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to Imran Asif, chief executive officer and accountable manager of Air Astra, at a ceremony in Dhaka. Air Astra already took delivery of two ATR 72-600 aircraft at Dhaka and two more aircraft are scheduled to be delivered within 2022. The French-built aircraft is one of the most modern turboprops in the world with excellent industry reliability, configured to carry 70 passengers in a comfortable, quiet cabin, according to a media statement.

Private carrier Air Astra has started preparations to undergo the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) operational safety audit (IOSA) before starting its operations. The airline started a five-day IOSA airline auditor training at its training centre in Dhaka Monday. Imran Asif, CEO and accountable manager), Captain Farhat Jamil, head of flight operations and training, Ghazi Mahmud Iqbal, head of engineering, Md Shafiqul Alam, head of quality assurance, Zafor Uzzaman, head of ground operations and DGR, Captain Khalid Shams, chief of safety, and Hasib ul Alam, head of airline security, attended the training. Also Read: TEI GET to promote renewable energy in Bangladesh The IOSA programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. All IATA members are IOSA registered and must remain registered to maintain their membership. Air Astra's plan to launch operations by Q1 2022 was affected by the aircraft leasing market uncertainties amid the pandemic.  Read Flights at Sylhet airport cancelled for 3 days from Friday The airline has secured 3x ATR 72-600 aircraft on lease and is on track to begin commercial flight operations across the domestic network in Bangladesh in September 2022. French-built ATR 72-600 aircraft are the most advanced turboprop aircraft in production today, according to a media statement.