New local carrier Air Astra to start operation in Nov

Air Astra will start operation in November as the new private Bangladeshi airline received the go-ahead from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) today.

The airline will have to operate its flight on domestic routes for a year and after that it will be allowed to operate flights on international routes, officials of Air Astra said.

Air Commodore Shah Kawsar Ahmed Choudhury, member for flight standards and regulations of the CAAB, handed over the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to Imran Asif, CEO and accountable manager of Air Astra, at a ceremony held at the Flight Standard and Regulations office of the aviation regulatory authority.

At the ceremony, Choudhury welcomed Air Astra to the industry to contribute to the country's gross domestic product through safe and efficient flight operations across the country.

He also thanked Air Astra for its consistent compliance with the regulations of the CAAB, because of which the carrier was given certificate within a year of submission of application.

It is the first passenger airline AOC issued since 2014, the Air Astra officials said.

The CEO of Air Astra thanked the authority for its continued support and guidance helping the airline to comply with all regulations and achieve the AOC.

Air Astra has already taken delivery of two ATR 72-600 aircraft at Dhaka and further two aircraft are scheduled to be delivered within 2022.

The French-built aircraft is the most modern turboprop in the world today with excellent industry reliability, configured to carry 70 passengers in a comfortable, quiet cabin.