The tickets of all airlines for all domestic flights ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr have already been sold out due to the rush of affluent and upper middle-class people to domestic airlines, said airlines officials.
They, however, said that they might operate additional flights on different domestic routes if the demand increased. They also said that a large number of homebound people were getting mad for air tickets to celebrate the festival with their families.
A private airlines official, seeking anonymity, told New Age that all domestic airlines including United Airways Bangladesh Limited, Regent Airways and Novo Air were doing a brisk business on the occasion of the Eid festival.
The private airlines are busy in carrying the homebound passengers, while the national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has not been in the domestic operation since couple of years.
Biman public relation division general manager Khan Musharraf Hussein told New Age that Biman would resume the operation of domestic flights in October or November.
Biman is going to lease two small aircrafts for domestic routes in October, he added.
United Airways public relation division assistant managing director Md Kamrul Islam said that tickets for domestic flights to Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Jessore, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Saidpur and Barisal were either booked or sold out.
He said that since only the United was operating flights to Rajshahi, Barisal and Saidpur, all the tickets for additional flight to Saidpur were also sold out.
He, however, said that if the demand increased, United would provide additional flights on any domestic routes.
Novo Air managing director Mofizur Rahman said that passengers already purchased tickets for their domestic flights to Jessore, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet.
‘The pressure of passengers is huge and if the demand rises we would provide additional flights’, he added.
Regent Airways chief-executive officer Imran Asif said that tickets for the flights to Chittagong, Sylhet, Cox’s Bazar and Jessore were sold out for one week before and after Eid.
‘As the number of passengers is huge, we are going to provide 737 aircrafts of 126 seats and additional flights. Though it would not be cost-effective but we are aware of the passengers’ convenience’, he said.
Imran also said that the ticket fare was within convenient range so any passengers could afford ticket fare.
A ticket for Dhaka-Chittagong route is being sold between Tk 4000 and Tk 6000, he said.
-With New Age input
