Bangladesh Bank (BB) has allowed resident Bangladeshi nationals to use their international cards to purchase air tickets from airlines operating in the country for travel abroad.

The move is aimed at easing the difficulties travellers often face in securing tickets at competitive prices due to the absence of international card-based settlement options within Bangladesh, the central bank said in a circular issued today.

The approval, however, comes with several conditions.

According to the BB, all ticket sale proceeds must be routed through payment service arrangements with banks operating in Bangladesh to ensure that foreign currency earnings are captured through domestic banking channels.

International cards issued under travel entitlements may be refilled or replenished with the exact amount spent on ticket purchases, subject to bank confirmation that the payments have been fully processed through local banks.

Banks have also been instructed to maintain separate records for each refill.

The circular added that the proceeds may be credited to foreign currency accounts maintained by airlines with local banks, in line with the Foreign Exchange Transactions Guidelines 2018.

"However, the acquired funds need to be encashed in taka in the case of locally owned airlines," it said.