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BSS-43
BANGLADESH-INDIA-FLIGHT
3500 Bangladeshis repatriated from India by air in 3 weeks
DHAKA, May 14, 2020 (BSS) – Bangladesh today wrapped up its 3rd phase of
repartition flight operation from India after bringing back more than 3500
stranded Bangladeshis from the neighboring country though 25 chartered
flights in last three weeks amid ongoing flight suspension due to COVID -19
pandemic.
As the last batch of the third phase of flight operation around 480
stranded Bangladeshi returned here from Delhi and Chennai in three separate
flights, according to a statement issued by Bangladesh High Commission
mission in New Delhi today.
The statement said the government in coordination with Bangladesh High
Commission in New Delhi has brough back more 3500 Bangladeshis by air in
three-phase chartered flight operation from different Indian cities including
New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore since April 20.
A ferry flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines landed at HSIA from Indian
capital New Delhi at 5:11 pm today bringing back 147 Bangladeshi citizens,
spokesperson of the airlines Deputy General Manager (PR) Tahera Khondokar
told media.
Earlier, another chartered flight of US-Bangla airlines landed at HSIA at
2:30 pm today bringing back 165 Bangladeshis from Chennai, airlines sources
said.
Besides, a chartered flight of Air India brought back 168 stranded
Bangladeshis from Chennai, Bangladesh Delhi mission said.
Most of the returnees from India comprise patients, their families,
students and tourists while apart from air routes over 500 Bangladesh
nationals returned home by road in the last two weeks from a number of Indian
cities, said the mission’s statement.
Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi in coordination with Bangladesh
missions in Kolkata, Mumbai, Guwahati and Agartala is working to bring back
the rest of the Bangladesh citizens who are willing to return home, it added.
As per the government decision, all the returnee Bangladeshis would have to
be sent to a 14-day institutional quarantine under the management of the
Armed Forces Division (AFD) if they fail to show medical certificates at the
airport on their arrival here.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh today extended the ongoing ban on flight operation
for the sixth consecutive time till May 30 to and from all European countries
and the nations that restricted the entry of Bangladeshis to their
territories as well as on all domestic routes over the coronavirus fear.
Besides India, Bangladesh also repatriated stranded Bangladeshis from
different other countries including the UK, Australia, Thailand, Singapore
and Malaysia while a chartered flight has also been planned to bring back
Bangladesh nationals from the USA.
India is also operating special flights to repatriate its nationals from
Bangladesh by a chartered aircraft of Air India.
Other countries, including the USA, the UK, India, Japan, Canada,
Australia, Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Bhutan,
Myanmar and different European countries also operated several special
chartered flights amid the flight suspension to repatriate their citizens
from here.
Nearly 300,000 people have so far been killed and nearly 4.3 million
infected worldwide by the COVID-19, which has left half of humanity under
some form of lockdown and pushed the global economy towards its worst
downturn.
BSS/ASG/TA/KU/1840 HRS