Amid demand from local travel agencies and passengers, Biman Bangladesh Airlines will start operating direct Hajj flights on Chittagong-Jeddah
route from Shah Amanat Airport on Monday, officials said yesterday.
Biman’s District Manager of Chittagong Dilip Kumar Chowdhury said they got approval for eight flights and received schedules for five of them. The first flight will take off early Monday, while each flight will carry over 500 pilgrims, he said.
In addition, Biman will carry about 1,800 passengers to Jeddah on nine regular flights starting on October 18.
The new flight arrangement however has disappointed the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) and the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB).
Biman will carry passengers of only two agencies–Shah Amanat Hajj Kafela and Mayor Hajj Kafela–which are owned and managed by persons linked to the ruling party, said SM Mubinul Haque, chairman of Haab, Chittagong.
Chairman of ATAB, Chittagong MS Alam said there were about 10,000 Hajj passengers from Chittagong but Biman could carry only a small number of them. The rest will have to travel from Dhaka, he added.
-With The Daily Star input
