Tanzil Rahaman
The number of flights on different routes between Bangladesh and India has drastically fallen amid passenger shortages as the Indian government had imposed visa restrictions.
The flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US Bangla Airlines have halved after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 amid a student-led mass uprising, according to officials of two airlines.
According to the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport authority, four airlines—Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US Bangla Airlines, Indigo and Air India—were operating flights on Dhaka-Kolkata, Dhaka-Delhi, Dhaka-Chennai, Dhaka-Hyderabad, and Dhaka-Mumbai routes.
According to Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ weekly flight statistics, Dhaka-Kolkata flights have reduced to seven now from 14 in August, Dhaka-Delhi flights come down to two from previous seven, and Dhaka-Chennai flights reduced just one from seven in August.
A director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines while talking to New Age put the drastic fall in flights down to India’s visa restrictions since the change in regime occurred in Bangladesh.
Over 62.5 per cent flights of US Bangla Airlines have suspended due to lack of passenger shortage.
US Bangla Airlines general manager Kamrul Islam said that they used to operate 32 flights on Dhaka-Kolkata, Chattogram-Kolkata and Dhaka-Chennai routes a week, which now came down to 12 after August 5 regime change.
‘Before August 5, we had run 14 flights on Dhaka-Kolkata route a week and now it’s only six. Chattogram-Kolkata flights, which were earlier seven a week remains suspended now,’ said Kamrul, adding that the weekly flights on Dhaka-Chennai route have come down to six from 11 since regime change.
The passenger shortage was acute caused by visa restrictions by the Indian government.
US Bangla officials said that the operation had closed since August.
IndiGo flight departures are down to 45 in November from 62 in July, while arrivals during this period are now down to 44 from 64 in July, Times of India reports.
Issuance of regular Indian visas from Bangladesh has remained suspended following the ouster of the authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina who fled to India on August 5 amid a student-led mass uprising.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh officials, flight operations to India significantly fell due to passenger shortage.
Civil aviation officials also said that people might have shown less interest in travelling to India alongside visa restrictions.
Its chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan could not be reached over phone for comments.
The situation has dealt a serious blow to the hotels, restaurants and healthcare services that served Bangladeshis especially in Kolkata, reports Indian media outlets.
