Biman rescues 409 Bangladeshis stranded in KSA

FT ONLINE 

Biman yesterday brought back 409 Bangladeshis stranded in Saudi Arabia on a special flight after the Gulf nation suspended air communication with different countries, including Bangladesh, to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

Most of the returnees were stuck in Saudi Arabia after going there to perform umrah. 

The special flight landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 4:15 pm, said an official of Aviation Security (AVSEC) of the airport. 

Several hundred Bangladeshis, including 37 staff members of foreign airlines, are currently in Saudi Arabia without any means of return as the Saudi government stopped flights from Bangladesh and other countries early this week, sources in Biman said. 

Biman operated the special flight on the Dhaka-Jeddah route yesterday with the special permission of the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and the Saudi government, said a Biman official yesterday.

A staff member of a foreign airline currently stranded in Saudi Arabia said they came to Saudi Arabia on a flight on March 15 and were supposed to return to Dhaka on the return flight the following day.

"But I, along with several of my colleagues, are now stuck in Jeddah for the last three days as Saudi authorities halted air communication with Dhaka. We are running short of money and we are not sure when we will be able to return home," the staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said. 

Aminur Rashid, another Bangladeshi who has been stuck in Saudi Arabia following the halt in air travel between the countries, said there are 15 people in their group who came to Saudi Arabia to perform umra. 

"We are running out of money and we are not sure when flights on the Saudi Arabia-Dhaka route will resume," he said. 

Dr Shahriar Sajjad, a doctor at the health desk of HSIA, said that after the 409 passengers are screened for the virus, they will be asked to stay in self-quarantine for 14 days in their respective houses. 

"But if any passengers are found with high fever and other symptoms of coronavirus, they will be sent to Ashkona Hajj Camp for further health investigation," he added. 

BIMAN SUSPENDS MALAYSIA FLIGHT

Meanwhile, with the suspension of flights to Kuala Lumpur from today, Biman has now forced to stop flights to 11 destinations out of a total of 17 over the last two weeks. 

Biman's Deputy General Manager of public relations, Tahera Khandaker, said that the national flag-carrier will stop its operations in Kuala Lumpur from March 18 due to the Malaysian government's decision to ban air travel with different countries, including Bangladesh, to stop the spread of coronavirus in the country.

Biman earlier suspended its operations in 10 destinations -- Dammad, Riyadh, Jeddah, Madina, Kolkata, Delhi, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Kathmandu.

In one month from February 28 to March 28, the national airliner was forced to cancel at least 330 international flights on different routes, said Tahera.

Biman has so far incurred a loss of Tk 270 crore in the last two months, she added. 

TWO FOREIGNERS SENT BACK

Two foreign nationals -- one from the United States and another from Ivory Coast -- who landed at HSIA early yesterday were sent back to their respective countries as they did not have visas.

"We sent them back on the same airline [on which they arrived]," said Group Caption AHM Touhid-ul-Ahsan, director of HSIA.

On March 15, the government of Bangladesh cancelled on-arrival visas till March 31.