130 Bangladeshi return from Delhi, 9 more flights from India
As per the planned schedule, nine more chartered flights will be operated from New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai to Dhaka
Bangladesh has planned to facilitate nine more chartered flights to bring back its stranded nationals from India while 130 citizens arrived here on Tuesday as last batch of the two-phase ferry flight operation that repatriated more than 2000 Bangladeshis from the neighboring country in last 15 days.
After successful completion of the two-phase charter flight operations, the Bangladesh mission in Delhi has prepared to commence the third-phase for bringing back Bangladeshis who have been stuck in Indian different cities amid nationwide lockdown there due to COVID-19, said a circular of Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi received here on Tuesday.
As per the planned schedule, nine more chartered flights will be operated from New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai to Dhaka, it said.
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Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate flights from Kolkata on May 10, from Mumbai on May 12, from Bangalore on May 13 or May 15 and from New Delhi on May 14 while US-Bangla airlines will operate five special flights from Chennai on May 8, 9, 10, 13 and 14.
Meanwhile, Dhaka wrapped up the second-phase of special chartered flight operation from India today facilitating a ferry flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines from New Delhi.
"Our special flight from New Delhi landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 5:30 pm carrying 130 Bangladeshi nationals," Biman's Deputy General Manager (PR) Tahera Khondoker told BSS. From April 20 till today, more than 2,000 Bangladeshis were brought back from India by 14 chartered flights- operated by national flag carrier Biman and a private local carrier US-Bangla Airlines- in two phases.
The government in coordination with Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi facilitated six flights – five from Chennai and one from New Delhi – in the first-phase and eight flights – three from Chennai and two from New Delhi, two from Kolkata and one from Mumbai- in the second-phase.
As per the government decision, all the returnee Bangladeshis would have to be sent to a 14-day institutional quarantine under the management of the Armed Forces Division (AFD) if they failed to show medical certificate at the airport on their arrival here.
Bangladesh missions in India have kept their efforts on to facilitate the return of more Bangladeshis, who are still stuck up in India.
On April 3, the foreign ministry issued a statement, saying that nearly 2,500 Bangladeshi citizens, including 1,000 students, were stranded in India due to COVID-19 outbreak.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh today extended the ongoing ban on flight operation for the fifth consecutive time till May 16 to and from all European countries and the nations including India that restricted the entry of Bangladeshis to their territories as well as on all domestic routes over the coronavirus scare.
