DHAKA, July 29, 2020 (BSS) – Two private carrier US-Bangla airline and Novoair are set to resume flight to Cox’s Bazar from tomorrow as the government gave the go ahead for restoring air-connectivity with the beach town after more than four months of suspension due to containment of COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to resume its operation between the capital and the country’s most popular tourist destination after the Eid-Ul-Azha holidays.
On Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) has taken the decision to resume the flight operation on Cox’s Bazar from July 30 as the district civil surgeon office arranged necessary arrangements to monitor the health hygiene and social distancing at the airport.
Initially, Novoair will operate daily three flight to Cox’s Bazar from tomorrow with a one-way starting fare of Taka 3500, airlines official said.
The US-Bangla airline has also prepared to resume flight to Cox’s Bazar from tomorrow but the airlines yet to confirm how many daily flights they would be able to operate initially to the destination.
With the flight reopening to Cox’s Bazar as the seventh domestic route, the full internal air connectivity will be restored as the government has already reopened other six destinations — Chattogram, Sylhet, Saidpur, Jashore, Barishal and Rajshahi — in a row after the domestic flight resumption.
On June 1, the government first resumed the air connectivity on the three routes – Chattogram, Sylhet and Saidpur from and to the capital after more than two-month closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic while it reopened flight operation to Jashore, Barisal and Rajshahi on June 11, July 12 and 21 respectively.
According to CAAB guideline, airlines are operating flight keeping at least 30 percent seats vacant on each flight to ensure social distancing by keeping at least gap of a seat between two passengers if they are not from the same family.