Transport strike a boon for domestic flights

Domestic airline operators are facing the pressure of passengers as most of the tickets on several routes have already been sold till Sunday after enforcement of an abrupt strike on roads and waterways protesting against the increase of diesel price.

Flight operators said now they have no tickets available on Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet routes and sales of tickets on other routes increased by 10 to 15 per cent compared to the past week. They said usually 80 to 90 per cent of tickets on all destinations remain booked on weekdays and 90 to 95 per cent on weekends, especially on Cox’s Bazar route.

Mofizur Rahman, Secretary-General of Aviation Operators Association of Bangladesh (AOAB) and NovoAir managing director, told The Business Post that with the ease of Covid-induced restrictions, the local tourists started visiting multiple tourism sites that shoot up the sale of tickets since September. It peaks to around 80 to 90 per cent on weekends, he added.

“The latest strike on roads and waterways put additional pressure on us particularly on Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet routes,” Mofizur said.

A huge number of tourists, stranded in Cox’s Bazar after the enforcement of transport strike, are rushing for air tickets but most of them had to return empty-handed.

The tourists said a few microbuses or cars are now transporting passengers from Cox’s Bazar to Chattogram or Dhaka at a much higher fare. Prices of air tickets also doubled than regular prices and now there is hardly any chance to get a ticket, they added.

Abul Kashem Sikdar, Secretary of Cox’s Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Association, said, over 30,000 tourists got stranded in the tourism city for the transport strike.

The strike is also barring more than 50,000 tourists to reach Cox’s Bazar from across the country, he added.

The Cox’s Bazar Police has announced that they would transport the stranded tourists to Chattogram on their vehicles free of cost.

The announcement of a strike on inland waterways on Saturday also increased the demand for air tickets on Dhaka-Barishal-Dhaka and Dhaka-Jashore -Dhaka routes.

Passengers on the two routes said prices of air tickets increased immediately after the announcement of the strike on waterways.

Md Kamrul Islam, General Manager (Public Relation) of US Bangla Airlines, told The Business Post that most of the passengers prefer tickets at weekends that increase passenger pressure and the transport strike added further pressure.

Asked about the increase in fares, Kamrul said prices of air tickets always depend on demand and supply. “When passenger pressure remains low, same goes on ticket price. When passenger pressure increases the prices go up. It’s the international practice for air ticketing,” he added.