Regent Airways is set to spread its wings to the skies of Saudi Arabia -- a commercially lucrative route given the sizeable population of Bangladeshi expatriates and the homestead of Muslim holy sites.

Starting from February 22, the private carrier will run flights from Dhaka to Dammam, the third biggest city of oil-rich Saudi Arabia, four times a week. From June onwards, there will be daily flights.

The route will be serviced by the newly-acquired Boeing 737-800 with 176 seats. There would be eight business and 168 economy class seats in the aircraft, said the company in a statement yesterday.

A one-way ticket to Dammam will cost Tk 20,838 and the return Tk 53,395 inclusive of all taxes. The new route will be Regent's 8th international route and the third in the Gulf region. Regent currently operates flights to Muscat, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Kolkata, and Kathmandu.

“We have six aircraft and we are trying to use them efficiently,” said Hanif Zakaria, chief commercial officer of Regent.

The airline began commercial operation in November 2010. It also operates domestic flights to Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Saidpur.

Incorporated as HG Aviation, Regent is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Habib Group, a Chittagong-based conglomerate that has exposure in power, steel, readymade garments, textiles, spinning, cement, paper, and fertilizer, among others.