Home ›› 19 Aug 2021 ›› Front
Two private airlines -- US-Bangla and NOVOAIR -- are yet to get the go-ahead from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh about their special flight operation between Bangladesh and India under the air bubble agreement.
On the other hand, the national flag carrier – Biman Bangladesh Airlines – has announced that it will operate the special flights between the two countries from August 22.
With the announcement, tour and travel operators started taking ticket booking from their customers.
Biman will operate two flights per week – one on Sunday and another on Wednesday – on the Dhaka-Delhi route while three flights – each on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday – on Dhaka-Kolkata route.
Masnoon Ahmed, admin of Chennai Treatment Group Bangladesh, a Facebook-based patient treatment service, said many Bangladeshis who went to seek medical treatment in India before the new variant hit the country are now stranded there.
They are now eagerly waiting to get a flight to return home but the government rules on quarantine have created a new problem, he added.
According to Md Kamrul Islam, general manager (public relations) of US-Bangla Airlines Ltd, “The government has taken initiatives to resume special flights with India, but we are yet to get due directive in this regard.”
“US-Bangla Airlines Ltd is ready to operate flights under the Air bubble agreement as we did in 2020.”
Novoair is also waiting for the aviation authority’s confirmation.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh said it has permitted air bubble travel on several conditions.
The conditions include passengers who have completed their Covid-19 vaccination will be able to avail themselves of home quarantine while non-vaccinated passengers put under 14-day institutional quarantine. Diplomats, students and patients seeking medical help will be able to travel via the special flights to India.
Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, chairman, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, told The Business Post they have dispatched the same conditions to their Indian counterpart over the air bubble flight proposal, but are yet to get a response.
“If any airlines opt to operate flights with India, they have to go by the Covid-19 restrictions,” said the chairman.
Md Abdur Rahim, chief operating officer of MGH Group, told this correspondent that a general sales agent of Indigo Air in Bangladesh said they have not received any directive from their company so far.
Earlier on October 28, 2020, Bangladesh-India introduced special flights till March 27, 2021 while Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines and Novo Air operated their special flights to India while Indian airlines SpiceJet, Indigo, Air India, Go Air and Air Vistara to Bangladesh.
The flights used to be operated between the airports of Dhaka, Chattogram, New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai depending on passenger demand.
