Bangladesh allows spl flights to China in lockdown

The government on Tuesday announced to operate special flight to and from China during the Covid-19 restrictions, despite an international flight ban.

With this, China became the sixth country, where Bangladesh would operate special flights amid lockdown.

Bangladesh authorities earlier allowed special flights to five countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Singapore – for carrying the Bangladeshi migrants.

The decision to run flight to and from China was taken on April 16 but the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh announced it only on Tuesday.

Officials said that the decision was made to facilitate the travel Bangladeshi businessmen and consultants of different development projects to and from China.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US Bangla Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines will operate passenger flights between Dhaka and an approved destination in China under special consideration, said a CAAB press release.

Only point to point passengers shall be carried, as part of conditions set by CAAB.

Irrespective of the Covid-19 vaccination, all incoming and outgoing passengers shall mandatorily possess PCR based Covid-19 negative certificate, CAAB said. The PCR test has to be done within 72 hours of the flight departure time.

The CAAB put no capacity restriction for narrow bodied (single isle) aircraft but said all wide bodied (twin isle) aircraft shall carry a maximum of 280 passengers.

B777 and B747 aircraft were allowed to carry up to 320 passengers.

A maximum of 100 passengers in the narrow-bodied aircraft and 150 passengers by the wide-bodied aircraft can be carried.

In both the cases of narrow-body or wide-body aircraft, at least the last row of the economy class and one seat of business class cabin shall be kept vacant for any suspected Covid-19 positive passenger.

Moreover, all health directives including disinfection, social distancing etc. procedure at the airport or in the aircraft shall strictly to be complied following the other directives of CAAB.

The decision will come into effect immediately and will remain valid until 28 April, CAAB said.