Staff Correspondent

Jin Air, a South Korean airline, has expressed its keen interest to enhance its flight operation with regular direct scheduled flights between Bangladesh and South Korea.

Already the carrier operated 121 direct chartered flights between Dhaka and Incheon in the last three years, said a press release issued on Saturday.

The Airline which is a subsidiary of the national carrier Korean Air group, has already conveyed its interest to establish direct scheduled commercial flights between Bangladesh and Korea to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

Jin Air sees market potentials on Bangladesh-Korea direct scheduled flights as South Korea remains one of the largest foreign investors in Bangladesh since independence while the demand for foreign workers in South Korea has been steadily on the rise.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Korean community and embassies of both countries collaborated with Jin Air initiated direct commercial chartered flights since 2021, to meet the demands of Korean evacuees and business travellers, as well as the Bangladeshi expatriate workers employed in Korea who were stranded during the initial pandemic period.

Since then, the Jin Air, successfully conducted a total of 112 direct flights, facilitating travel of more than 27,007 passengers in which around 10,118 were Bangladeshi expatriate workers, fulfilling the entire Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Ltd (BOESL) demand since the onset of the pandemic.

In an appreciation letter, BOESL said it could be impossible without having outstanding and uninterrupted chartered flight support from Jin Air to travel Bangladeshi workers employed under Employment Permit System (EPS) in South Korea.

Jin Air’s firm commitment persists to see the route grow from its initial stages to become a frequent, possibly even daily, scheduled service in the future.

Jin Air has already applied for operating a series of non-scheduled commercial flights from October 2023 onwards with the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.

CAAB has been reviewing and granting operating permits to Jin Air to operate flights on a weekly basis while the Korean carrier has consistently fulfilled all relevant payment obligations as per the rule.

As special charter flights, Jin Air had paid almost 50 percent more ground handling fees to Biman compared to other regular flights.

According to the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, Jin Air paid all aeronautical and non-aeronautical charges at the same rate of other commercial scheduled flights while the authorities has so far realised Taka 2,06,66,518 as aeronautical charges from the Jin Air.

Showing its highest commitment and dedication, the Jin Air continued its chartered commercial flights with as few as 39 passengers on board while it never imposed extra charges on Bangladeshi EPS workers, prioritising their safety and professional security.