flydubai to compensate 104 Dubai returnees
In a similar development, Air Arabia offered to fly 112 Bangladeshi migrants to UAE for free. They had been denied entry last month
Dubai Aviation Corporation or the flydubai airline will compensate the 104 Bangladeshi migrant workers who were sent back from Dubai earlier this month.
According to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) officials, the migrants boarded two flydubai flights on 9 October from Dhaka. They were supposed to go to Abu Dhabi from Dubai by road. But they were sent back from Dubai International Airport on 9th and 11th of October, as they did not have permission for the road transit.
Dr Shahriar Sajjad, a health officer at HISA, said the airline is responsible for the problem. It should have taken permission for the transit beforehand.
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AHM Touhidul Ahsan, director of HSIA, told The Business Standard, "After investigating the returnees' allegation we found out that flydubai was at fault for their deportation. Had the airline followed United Arab Emirates (UAE) immigration policy, they would not have allowed the migrants to board a Dubai-bound flight without ensuring that they had road transit permission."
However, the issue has been settled, he said.
"After a hearing in HISA in the presence of the victims, flydubai signed a written statement to provide compensation including ticket fees, other costs, and an additional Tk3500 to each of the migrants," he added.
Now, these migrants will be able to go to Abu Dhabi on any airline, Touhidul noted.
In a similar development, 112 Bangladeshi migrants who were denied entry to UAE will now be able to go there for free.
Among them, 44 migrants, who went to the country boarding an Air Arabia flight on 14 August were denied entry over visa complications, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment.
The airline has offered to take the migrants to the UAE without any cost, added the press release.
As a sign of goodwill, Air Arabia will also fly another 68 migrants to UAE for free. These migrants went to the country around the same time on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight and were denied entry, read the press release.
