Bangladesh has approved Pakistan's private airline, Fly Jinnah, to operate direct flights on the Karachi-Dhaka route, resuming air connectivity between the two cities after nearly a decade.

"They (Fly Jinnah) applied to us, and we have approved it," Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan told The Daily Star this evening.

Before launching operations, Fly Jinnah has to appoint a local General Sales Agent (GSA) in Bangladesh.

"Now they (Fly Jinnah) will appoint a GSA (General Sales Agent). Once they request slots and frequencies, we will provide them. Our part is currently complete," Bhuiyan said.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Pakistan's state-owned flag carrier, last operated direct flights on this route until February 2015.

Fly Jinnah, a budget airline, is a joint venture between Pakistan's Lakson Group and UAE-based Air Arabia, a low-cost carrier headquartered in Sharjah.