Biman doubles Dhaka-Narita flights

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will double its weekly flights between Dhaka and Japan’s Narita from October 29, coinciding with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s official visit to Japan, a senior airline official said yesterday. “We are increasing the frequency on the Dhaka-Narita-Dhaka route from one to two flights a week, with the additional service beginning on October 29,” Md Ashraful Alam, Biman’s director of marketing and sales, told BSS.

The national flag carrier will operate flights on the route every Monday and Thursday, strengthening direct air connectivity between Bangladesh and Japan, he said.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to travel to Japan on Biman’s regular commercial flight for a four-day official visit beginning October 26.

“The Prime Minister will also return home on October 29 aboard Biman’s newly introduced Thursday flight from Narita,” Alam said.

The decision to increase flight frequency comes nearly three months after Biman resumed its direct Dhaka-Narita-Dhaka service on July 27, restoring Bangladesh’s only nonstop air connection with Japan following a suspension of more than a year.

The airline initially relaunched the route with one weekly flight using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with plans to increase frequencies depending on passenger demand, commercial performance and aircraft availability.

Biman officials had earlier said the resumed service received an encouraging response from passengers, particularly Bangladeshis living in Japan.

More than 40,000 Bangladeshi students and workers are estimated to live in Japan, contributing to demand for direct air travel between the two countries.

The route is also considered important for expanding bilateral trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

Biman is exploring potential codeshare arrangements with Japan Airlines and Air Canada to make Narita a transit gateway for Bangladeshi passengers travelling to North America and other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.

If finalised, the proposed partnerships could allow passengers to connect through Narita to destinations such as Vancouver, Los Angeles and Seoul, with coordinated ticketing and baggage arrangements.

The Dhaka-Narita route was relaunched in September 2023 after a 17-year suspension but was discontinued on July 1, 2025, amid aircraft shortages, operating costs and commercial considerations.

Biman subsequently moved to restore the service as part of broader efforts to strengthen Bangladesh-Japan economic and aviation cooperation.

The introduction of a second weekly flight is expected to offer passengers greater travel flexibility while supporting the airline’s efforts to make the route commercially sustainable.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to visit Japan from October 26 to 29 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

During the visit, the two countries are expected to hold high-level talks and explore opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, aviation and human resource development.