Orient Airways the first civil and private airline operated from East Bengal. It was established in 1946 by the calcutta based Ispahani group of industries, which had extensive investments in eastern Bengal. In 1941, the Royal Indian Airforce built an airstrip in Tejgaon to fight the Japanese in the eastern front during the Second World War. After the War, the airstrip was allowed to be used for civil aviation purposes. Taking the advantage, the Ispahani group of industries, established the Orient Airways.

After the Partition of Bengal in 1947, the Orient Airways was the only civil airline operating in East Bengal. In 1947, the company operated two types of carriers from Tejgaon Airport: DC-3 (Dakota) and DHC-6 (Twin Otter). With the establishment of Pakistan International Airline, which made civil aviation a public sector property, the Orient Airways was closed down in 1948. [S M Mahfuzur Rahman]