A new-generation private airline in Bangladesh, established in 2021 and awarded its air operator certificate in November 2022, making it the first new passenger carrier licensed in the country in nearly nine years. It operates from a single base at Dhaka with an ATR 72-600 turboprop fleet serving four domestic destinations, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet and Saidpur, and holds IOSA safety audit registration. For Chinese shippers, Air Astra has no China route and no published capacity; its value lies in last-leg distribution inside Bangladesh and in connections at gateway cities.
Chinese-language service provider: Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited, handling booking, customs declaration and end-to-end logistics for international air freight, on routes from China to the United States and all major continents.
Air Astra (IATA 2A, ICAO AWA, callsign CAPELLA) is operated by Astra Airways Limited, registered in Bangladesh in July 2021 as a scheduled passenger and cargo carrier. The head office is at Siaam Tower in Uttara, Dhaka, and the main operating base is Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. It obtained continuous airworthiness management organization (CAMO) certification on 30 September 2022 and, on 2 November 2022, its air operator certificate (AOC) and ground handling service provider (GHSP) permit, becoming the first new carrier in Bangladesh in nearly nine years to be granted a passenger AOC. Services began on 24 November 2022.
The airline started with two ATR 72-600 aircraft on Dhaka to Cox's Bazar and Dhaka to Chittagong, added Dhaka to Sylhet in February 2023 and Dhaka to Saidpur in May 2024. As of 2025 the register holds four ATR 72-600 aircraft flying 14 departures a day to four domestic destinations. Published plans cover growing the ATR 72-600 fleet to 10 aircraft and entering international markets from 2025, with three Airbus A320-200 and four A321-200 aircraft listed for dry-lease introduction. On safety, the airline first passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) in 2024 and completed renewal in June 2025, with IOSA registration valid until 24 August 2027.
For the Chinese market the airline has no published scheduled cargo flight, no China office and no published capacity, and its fleet consists of turboprop regional aircraft with cargo carried in the belly. Its value to Chinese shippers is the final leg inside Bangladesh: cargo flown to Dhaka by another carrier can be distributed over its domestic network to Chittagong, Sylhet, Cox's Bazar and other gateway and regional centres. Its founding documents already include cargo in the scope of business, and if the planned aircraft arrive on schedule the volume and range it can handle may widen, subject to the carrier's official announcements.
| Airline | Air Astra (Astra Airways Limited) |
| Company type | Private scheduled passenger and cargo carrier |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Global headquarters | Uttara, Dhaka |
| Hub airport | Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka (DAC) |
| Founded | Established July 2021, launched November 2022 |
| IATA two-letter code | 2A |
| ICAO three-letter code | AWA |
| IATA settlement code | 610 |
| Air waybill prefix | No public recordNot disclosed |
| Official lookup website | www.airastra.com |
| Fleet size | 4 ATR 72-600 (with A320/A321 introduction planned) |
| Cargo aircraft | No freighters; cargo carried in passenger belly holds |
| China services | No scheduled services and no China officeNone available |
The information above is compiled from public sources. Fleet expansion and international route launch dates follow the carrier's official announcements.
The entire fleet is ATR 72-600, and a single type standardizes maintenance, spares and crew training, which makes schedule reliability easier to hold.
Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet and Saidpur, covering port and industrial cities in eastern and northern Bangladesh.
Cargo capacity comes from the passenger belly. The volume per flight is limited, which suits samples, spare parts and small high-value shipments but not dense bulk cargo.
International routes and the Airbus fleet introduction are at the public planning stage and do not yet amount to bookable capacity; actual launch dates follow the carrier's announcements.
Capacity note: Air Astra owns no freighters and does not operate routes originating in China. To use its domestic capacity, cargo must already have been flown to Dhaka by another carrier and cleared for import; the domestic transfer is carriage inside Bangladesh and must follow local civil aviation and customs rules on domestic transit, with acceptance decided by the carrier shipment by shipment.
Air Astra uses the ATR 72-600 as its only aircraft type in service. Developed by ATR, the French-Italian joint venture, it is one of the latest turboprop regional airliners still in production, with a standard layout of around 70 seats, PW127M engines and a glass cockpit, a higher take-off weight than the previous generation and a minimum take-off runway requirement of about 1,450 m. Turboprop fuel efficiency and take-off and landing performance suit Bangladesh's domestic network of 300 to 350 nautical mile sectors and allow operation at airports with limited runway conditions. The company's founding documents list passenger and cargo carriage side by side, and its fleet plan includes dry-leased Airbus A320-200 and A321-200 aircraft, 180-seat and 200-seat narrowbodies respectively; if introduced as planned, belly payload and sector coverage would rise well above the ATR 72-600.
| Aircraft type | Status | Number | Notes on cargo operations |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-600 | In service | 4 aircraft | Turboprop regional airliner with limited belly volume, used for small and urgent shipments |
| ATR 72-600 | Planned expansion | Planned to grow to 10 aircraft | Expansion progress as announced by the carrier |
| Airbus A320-200 | Dry lease acquisition plan | 3 aircraft (planned) | Narrowbody, with belly payload well above the turboprop |
| Airbus A321-200 | Dry lease acquisition plan | 4 aircraft (planned) | Narrowbody for medium and short international sectors |
Fleet and introduction plan compiled from public sources; numbers and timing may change, and the carrier's latest announcement governs the aircraft actually in service.
| Aircraft category | Twin-turboprop regional airliner (built by ATR) |
| Standard seating | Around 70 passengers |
| Engines | 2 PW127M turboprop engines |
| Minimum takeoff runway | About 1,450 m |
| Applicable sectors | Mainly sectors of 300 to 350 nautical miles or less |
| Loading method | Loose loaded in the belly; charged by weight and volume |
| Cargo limits | Belly volume is small, so no oversized items, heavy cargo or full pallets |
The times above are published reference flight times from Dhaka to each domestic destination, for estimating domestic transfer time. Actual flight time varies with weather, routing and airport congestion; at booking, the carrier's published schedule governs.
No public information shows Air Astra serving an airport in China or operating scheduled flights thereNone available. Cargo from China first has to reach Dhaka with another carrier before the domestic sector can be assessed.
Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet and Saidpur, with 14 departures a day, one of the denser domestic schedules among Bangladeshi carriers.
The company has applied for operating rights on a route to Nepal and has said publicly that it will expand into international markets from 2025; destinations and launch dates follow its announcements.
| Destinations | Airport | Type | Value for connecting China cargo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhaka | Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) | Base | Transfer point between international arrivals and domestic onward transport |
| Chittagong | Shah Amanat International Airport (CGP) | Domestic destinations, some also international | Bangladesh's second city and largest port, home to garment and ship-breaking industries |
| Sylhet | Osmani International Airport (ZYL) | Domestic destinations, some also international | Tea and natural gas region in the northeast, which became a cargo corridor to Europe in 2025 |
| Cox's Bazar | Cox's Bazar Airport (CXB) | Domestic destinations | A tourism and fishing city in the southeast; the airport is being expanded to international status |
| Saidpur | Saidpur Airport (SPD) | Domestic destinations | Northern industrial area that hosts part of the garment capacity |
Destination and airport details are compiled from public sources. Domestic schedules and times are not listed individually and follow the carrier's current-season timetable; schedules change with the season, and the carrier's confirmation on the day of booking applies.
For cargo originating in China, Air Astra offers no direct international cargo service. The China to Bangladesh mainline has to be flown by another carrier, and Air Astra can only take part beyond Dhaka, so its reach is limited to Bangladesh and cannot extend directly to a third country.
Operational note:For the mainline from China to Bangladesh we can arrange scheduled capacity from Guangzhou and other gateways, with domestic delivery connected at Dhaka; for destinations outside Bangladesh we match carriers by South Asia, Middle East, Europe and US direction and quote as one. Whether the domestic leg can take a shipment, and at what weight and dimensions, is confirmed by us with the carrier shipment by shipment at booking.
| Official website | www.airastra.com (including business contact channels) |
| Head office | Siaam Tower, Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Base | Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka |
| China office | No directly owned office in China is publicly listedNone available For bookings, contact its local agent in China, or ask us to coordinate on your behalf |
| Air waybill prefix | No public recordNot disclosed Subject to the air waybill actually issued |
Note: the international routes and the widebody and narrowbody introduction plans do not yet amount to bookable capacity. Have your forwarder verify the current operating status before booking.
Air Astra has no office in China and its business is normally handled through agent networks and local channels. Giving the domestic transfer to a forwarder that knows the Bangladesh market reduces coordination effort and on-the-ground risk, mainly in the following ways:
The airline operates 14 domestic rotations a day on average, with denser frequencies from Dhaka toward Chattogram and Cox's Bazar, so cargo can be distributed quickly once clearance is complete.
The ATR 72-600 is a current-production turboprop with a complete spare parts and technical support system, which supports schedule reliability.
The airline holds IOSA registration until August 2027 and its operational management system has been audited against international standards, which suits shippers who screen carrier credentials.
The in-service fleet is only 4 aircraft, all turboprop regional types, so belly capacity is limited and bulk heavy or outsized cargo is not suited to this capacity.
The mainline from China to Bangladesh has to be flown by another carrier; the domestic legs can only be one part of an overall solution and cannot stand alone. When the solution is designed, mainline transit time and domestic connection time have to be costed together.
Fleet expansion, the Airbus introduction and international route launches are all at planning stage, so timing and scale may change. We prepare alternative capacity in parallel so that a shipping program does not hinge on a single carrier.
The airline obtained its continuing airworthiness management organisation approval in September 2022 and, in November of the same year, both its air operator certificate and a ground handling provider licence, making it the first newly established carrier in Bangladesh in nine years to hold a passenger air operator certificate. The ground handling licence means the airline can run ground operations independently at its own base, which helps at cargo acceptance and loading.
The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) is the international standard for assessing a carrier's operational safety. The airline passed the audit for the first time in 2024, completed its renewal in June 2025, and its IOSA registration is valid until 24 August 2027. Many international shippers and insurers use this credential when they select a carrier.
Cargo cleared for import in Dhaka and moved on the domestic sector needs complete import release documents and domestic transfer papers. The commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and any import permit have to match the goods, and the consignee details have to match its local trading qualifications. Mismatched documents are the main reason cargo sits in the terminal, so we pre-check documents before departure and keep an operator in Dhaka following the release.
For cargo where the delivery date comes first, we can offer belly space on daily direct flights from China to Dhaka; for full lots where cost comes first, widebody belly capacity on a flag carrier; for cargo destined outside Bangladesh, we match carriers by direction, whether South Asia, the Middle East, Europe or the United States. The domestic capacity of Astra Airways works as a supplement for the final leg rather than as the mainstay across the whole routing.
Astra Airways is a privately owned scheduled carrier in Bangladesh, operated by Astra Airways Limited. It was established in 2021, started flying in November 2022, is headquartered in Uttara, Dhaka, and uses Dhaka as its only base. Its IATA two-letter code is 2A, its ICAO three-letter code is AWA and its IATA accounting code is 610.
No published source shows the company serving an airport in China or keeping its own office thereNone available. The mainline from China to Bangladesh has to be carried by another operator; this airline's domestic capacity can supplement the leg beyond Dhaka.
As of 2025 the in-service fleet is 4 ATR 72-600 turboprop airliners flying 14 domestic rotations a day on average. Published plans include growing that type to 10 aircraft and adding 3 Airbus A320-200 and 4 Airbus A321-200 on dry lease, with delivery dates as announced by the carrier.
The airline has applied for an operating permit for an international route toward Nepal and has said publicly that it would expand internationally from 2025, but no scheduled international flight is bookable yet. For cargo to other South Asian countries we can offer solutions with other carriers.
Documents, samples, spare parts, small high-value lots and orders with tight deadlines fit well. Bulk heavy cargo, oversized items and full pallets do not, because of belly volume limits; use road haulage or a carrier with freighter capacity instead.
Not applicable. The Astra Airways network is domestic and planned to cover South Asia; Europe and North America mainlines are outside its capacity. For China to the United States and Europe we can book space with the main carriers on those lanes and quote on a single basis.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited is based in Shenzhen, China, and specializes in international air cargo from China to the United States and other major markets. We book scheduled capacity from China to Bangladesh and arrange clearance, delivery and domestic transfer in Dhaka, covering quoting, export declaration, air carriage, clearance and delivery; ask us for routings and rates.
Disclaimer:Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight). Airline names, codes, trademarks and brand marks mentioned here belong to their respective owners. We are an independent international freight forwarder and have no affiliation, agency or investment relationship with this airline. The information is compiled from public sources for reference only and does not form a contract of carriage or a service commitment. Space, rates and schedules are subject to actual confirmation by the carrier or its authorized agent on the day of booking.