State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali inaugurated Vistara's first flight to Dhaka at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday.
“It is a great pleasure for us to have another airline join us. The relations between the two countries are very strong and will continue to be so in the future," said Mahbub.
As many as 56 weekly flights carrying 10,000 passengers will now operate between the South Asian nations, the state minister noted.
"The launch of new flights under the Air Bubble Agreement will further increase travel between Bangladesh and India. I hope that Vistara Airlines will serve the passengers by maintaining quality and safety."
The first flight of Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, landed in Dhaka from Delhi at 10:30 am Thursday with 60 passengers on board. The return flight, with 70 passengers, is scheduled at 7:30 pm.
"Vistara Tata SIA Airlines operates a total of 43 flights worldwide under a joint venture between India and Singapore," said Vistara's representative Kaizad Pesi Postwalla.
"India's Tata has a 51 percent stake with Singapore holding the remaining 49 percent. Two flights weekly will operate on Sundays and Thursdays under the air bubble agreement,” he added.