Airfare hiked on Dhaka-Ctg route amid road link disruption due to flood

The local airlines operating on the Dhaka-Chattogram route have increased their flights amid a surge in demand due to the disruption of road transport on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway because of the ongoing floods in the region.

However, allegations have been raised that the carriers had also increased airfares on Dhaka to Chattogram and Cox's Bazar routes by up to Tk10,000, disregarding a request from the civil aviation authority. 

Authorities of the carriers, however, denied the allegations. They said the maximum Tk1,000 has been increased on the routes.

One of the airlines, Air Astra, normally operates four daily flights on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Dhaka route. It operated five flights on Friday and six flights on Saturday on the route.

"We have increased flights as demand has risen. But the airfare remains unchanged," Sakib Hasan Shuva, deputy manager at Air Astra, told The Business Standard.

Mentioning that the minimum airfare on the route is Tk5,500 and maximum Tk11,000, he said around 40% of the 70 seats have been sold at the minimum rate.

Another carrier, Novo Air, which usually operates two flights on the Chattogram and Cox's Bazar routes from Dhaka, has increased the flights to three per day on the Chattogram route. 

Contacted, head of Sales and Marketing at Novo Air, Mesbah-Ul-Islam told TBS that they did not increase the airfare considering the situation arisen due to the floods. "It's [fares] still reasonable. It takes the highest Tk500-1,000 more than usual airfare."

Another carrier, US-Bangla Airlines, is currently operating seven to eight flights per day. Its General Manager for Public Relations Kamrul Islam said the airfare has remained the same as before.

As per the online ticketing platform GoZayaan, the one-way ticket price for the local carriers on the Dhaka-Chattogram route varies from Tk 3,500 to Tk10,000, depending on the demand. For round way flights, it varies from Tk7,000 to Tk20,000.

No extra charge to reschedule Biman tickets   

Given the situation arising from the current floods, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has fixed the one-way fare at maximum Tk5,400 for the economy class on Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet flights. The rate is applicable for the return flights as well.

In addition, if any passenger from the flood-affected areas fails to travel on the stipulated date, they are allowed by the national flag carrier to travel at a later date without any extra charge, as long as there are available seats, says a Biman press release.

In such cases, passengers are requested to contact the relevant ticket issuing agency, or Biman's nearest sales centre or call centre at the helpline: 13636.

The facility will remain in effect until the flood situation improves, adds the release.

Additionally, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh has directed 39 airlines operating through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to reissue or rebook tickets free of charge for passengers who miss their flights due to the ongoing floods in the country.