Bangladesh airlines suspends India flights amid coronavirus outbreak

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s national carrier and three privately operated airlines decided on Thursday to suspend flights to India amid a coronavirus outbreak and India’s recent ban on tourist visas, according to officials.

“We have decided to suspend flights from Dhaka to India from Saturday after the Indian counterpart said it will not allow any international flights and visitors except its own nationals to enter the country from Friday,” Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director Md Mokabbir Hossain told Anadolu Agency.

The airline suspended flights to Kuwait and Qatar on March 7 and March 9, respectively, because of those countries restrictions and to put a check on the possible spread of the virus known as COVID-19, he added.

“As country Bangladesh has restricted its airlines operation to three, including India as latest and Qatar and Kuwait, and as destination (route) we have halted operation to four while we have to reduce flights to more than six destinations,” he said, hinting at the poor operation of flights.Y

Biman Bangladesh and others, however, will operate special flights to New Delhi to return passengers.



The Dhaka Tribune newspaper quoted US-Bangla Airlines, Novoair and Regent Airways, who confirmed the decision to cancel flights to India between March 15 to 17.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka said on Thursday that new visas would not be issued beginning March 13.

The ministry of Home Affairs of India said it suspended existing visas issued to any nationals of any country until April 15, except those issued to diplomatic, official, UN or international organisations or employment.

Bangladesh confirmed three cases of the virus March 8 and two of the three have already tested negative for the virus and are ready to go home.

The US Embassy in Dhaka said Thursday that Washington mobilized a $25 million fund through the USAID aid agency to support Bangladesh in its readiness and response to the virus.

The virus originated in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 114 countries.

The global death toll exceeds 4,900, with more than 134,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organisation that declared the outbreak "a pandemic."