Untapping High Potential Markets for Airlines

The global pandemic brought the entire world to a complete standstill. The Tourism Industry is facing unprecedented times with the outbreak of COVID-19 as it has imposed a massive burden on the industry.

There has been a cautious sense of optimism for the aviation sector following the relaxation of travel restrictions and successful vaccination programs in many parts of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, but it is worth mentioning that South Asia including Bangladesh, also in the Middle East and Egypt, have recovered to approximately 85% of Q2 2019 seat capacity.

Pent-up demand for air travel particularly for leisure such as visiting friends and relatives and postponed holidays, will continue to buoy the industry’s recovery even as the sector faces strong headwinds against inflation and geopolitical risks. Many airports are already operating at capacity in peak periods, even though the overall footfall is below 2019 levels.

Against such a backdrop, we at ALO Dhaka Aviation have a solid confidence with our plans to inaugurate Egypt Air non-stop route between Cairo and Dhaka by December 2021, this move comes after the conducted agreement with ALO Dhaka Aviation, the general sales agent for the Star Alliance member in Bangladesh, the new route would provide increased connectivity for the transportation of Bangladeshi passengers and cargo because of the onward travel options Cairo offers, meaning it would be a favorable alternative to hubs like Dubai and Istanbul.

Egypt Air will become the sole operator of nonstop scheduled flights between Egypt and Bangladesh once the route launches, our projected figures reveal traffic between the two countries totaled 17,320 two-way passengers in 2019, with Cairo-Dhaka accounting for 75% of the traffic on a city pair basis.

We believe that Egypt Bangladesh new direct flight operations is crucial to develop deeper and more strategic relations between the two nations, there's a lot of untapped potential especially on the economic side and intra-regional trade domain, currently we are seeing active discussions between the two countries regarding the signing of a free trade agreement to cancel customs tariffs, which will foster bilateral trade.

Destinations should prepare tourism and air transport recovery plans to rebuild businesses by incorporating innovation and figuring out solid basis to develop relationships between nations. Fostering a culture and practices across the sector that encourages safety will definitely boost traveler confidence, which in result stimulate demand. Ensuring the safety of the guests and the staff should be the priority of the hospitality industry stakeholders.

Lastly, as CEO of the ALO Dhaka Aviation, I would like to thank our business alliances, suppliers and all stakeholders for your support and trust in the Company’s business operations including our executives and all employees for your collaboration in performing your duties with all the efforts and abilities. The Company will remain unwavering in our adherence to good corporate governance principles and stay committed to developing the organization to achieve sustainable growth to be among top leading companies in Aviation Services in Bangladesh.