International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged Bangladesh to pay $320 million funds blocked by the government for 40 months. At the same time, Pakistan was also asked to clear its dues of $411 million which has also been held for 40 months. IATA Member Certificate handed over to US-Bangla Airlines Globally, blocked funds have decreased by 28% to $1.8 billion since December 2023. This improvement is largely due to significant clearances in Nigeria and Egypt. However, airlines in both countries faced losses due to currency devaluations, according to a media release on Sunday. The situation is particularly concerning in Bangladesh and Pakistan, IATA said, where airlines are unable to access a combined $731 million in revenue. IATA Director General Willie Walsh urged both countries to prioritize the release of these funds to ensure continued air connectivity, said the release. US-Bangla gets recognition of IATA Airlines “Pakistan and Bangladesh must release the $731 million in blocked funds immediately,” said Walsh. “In Bangladesh, the solution is in the hands of the Central Bank, which must prioritize aviation’s access to foreign exchange in line with international treaty obligations. The solution in Pakistan is finding efficient alternatives to the system of audit and tax exemption certificates, which cause long processing delays,” he added. Nigeria's success story provides a blueprint for resolving this issue. With government intervention, 98% of the previously blocked funds have been cleared, significantly improving the situation for airlines operating in the country. Travel momentum builds as restrictions are lifted: IATA Eight countries are responsible for the lion's share of the remaining blocked funds, with a combined total of $1.6 billion representing 87% of the issue. Pakistan tops the list, followed closely by Bangladesh. Other significant contributors include Algeria ($286 million), XAF zone countries ($151 million), Ethiopia ($149 million), Lebanon ($129 million), Eritrea ($75 million), and Zimbabwe ($69 million). These figures highlight the specific challenges faced by airlines operating in these regions.

United Airways (BD) Limited authority has reiterated its commitment to return the airline to operations at the earliest possible time while complying with the existing rules and regulations of the country. The current board of independent directors informed this at its 17th Annual General Meeting for the year 2021-22 on Tuesday on an online platform. Read more: 'Air Incheon-Korean Airlines’ introduces direct cargo flight from Bangladesh to South Korea The board informed the shareholders of their plan to revive the Airline, initially with cargo operation and begin passenger services within the next three years. The board also expressed gratitude to the government, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, BSEC and other concerned parties for all kinds of support and cooperation extended to the airline. Besides, six other AGMs pending since 2016 were also held to meet the BSEC and Joint Stock Company regulations. Read more: US-Bangla Airlines wins Best Domestic Airlines award The AGM was presided over by Kazi Wahidul Alam, Chairman and was attended by the Directors: Prof. Dr. M Sadiqul Islam, Prof. Md. Maksudur Rahman Sarker, Prof. Dr. Md. Badruzzaman Bhuiyan, Mohammed Shah Newaz, Syed Ershad Ahmed and Managing Director (Current Charge) ATM Nazrul Islam. Auditor’s Reports and Financial Statements of the company for all the mentioned years were presented at the AGMs and were approved by the majority of votes casted. Hundreds of shareholders also participated at the AGM and appreciated the role of the present Board for its initiative in bringing back the airline to operations. United Airways was established in 2005 and later in 2010 was listed with Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). In February 2016, the airline stopped flight operations without any prior announcement leaving thousands of general shareholders in uncertainty and despair.

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.

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.

NOVOAIR, a private airline, is going to add more domestic flights on Chattogram and Barishal routes from January 19, 2020.

Workers have begun striking at South Africa’s troubled state-owned airline over nearly 1,000 expected job cuts, with flights canceled for at least two days.