The Biman Bangladesh Airlines will launch direct flight on the Dhaka-Manchester route by January next, considering the huge demand of expatriate Bangladeshis living in the northern part of England.

The information revealed on Saturday when civil aviation and tourism secretary M Mohibul Haque held a meeting with visiting Mayor of Greater Manchester Andrew Murray Burnham at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka.

British High Commissioner to Dhaka Robert Chatterton Dickson was also present at the meeting.

The secretary said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already given her consent to commence the direct Dhaka-Manchester flight.

Mentioning that currently, Biman’s fleet consists of modern aircraft like Boeing’s Dreamliner 787, Haque said the national flag carrier will open a number of new destinations for ensuring utmost use of its airplanes.

Burnham assured that he will extend supports to Bangladesh for establishing the direct air connectivity and hoped that Biman will be able to resume its Dhaka-New York flight via Manchester soon.