DHAKA, June 11, 2020 (BSS) – Bangladesh has decided to resume international flight operation in a limited scale from June 16 after nearly three months of flight suspension for containing outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
“We will resume Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight on Dhaka-London-Dhaka route and have given permission to Qatar Airways to initially operate three weekly flight on Doha-Dhaka-Doha sector in condition of carrying only transit passengers after June 15,” Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Mohibul Haque told BSS today.
The senior secretary said the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) has taken all preparations to operate the international flight following the health guideline of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
“Firstly, we will operate a weekly flight of Biman on London route. If we get enough passengers, we will make it daily gradually as like as the previous regular schedule,” he said.
Haque said the government would like to reestablish air connectivity with the outer world in a limited scale while the country has almost been cut off from the globe as currently flight operation remains open with China only.
He said as per the government decision, all the returnee Bangladeshis would have to be sent to a 14-day institutional quarantine if they fail to show COVID-19 negative certificate at the airport on their arrival here.
Meanwhile, the CAAB issued a circular regarding the decision, saying that airlines must follow its health guideline of ensuring hygiene and social distancing while operating the international flights.
On May 28 the government extended the ongoing suspension on commercial scheduled international flights for seventh time till June 15 to and from Bahrain, Bhutan, Hongkong, India, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, and the UK.
From June 1, Bangladesh resumed domestic flight operations after more than two months on a limited scale.
Meanwhile, different countries, including India, the USA, the UK, India, Japan, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Bhutan, Myanmar and different European countries so far operated several special chartered flights amid the flight suspension to repatriate their citizens from here.
Bangladesh government also facilitated chartered flights to bring back its nationals from a number of countries, including India, the USA, the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.