Staff Reporter :
Operation of regular flights will be suspended if Covid-19 situation worsens, said, Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh on Thursday.
“Permission would not be given either to operate special flights to and from Dhaka considering the situation,” said Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, Chairman of CAAB said this while talking to journalists at his office at Kurmitola in the capital. He said that they are not considering reducing the number of passengers in domestic flights right now as all airlines are ensuring health safety rules.
“I think air travel is much safer now than traveling by any other means,” he said.
The Chairman said that CAAB has asked airlines not to carry more than 260 passengers in their wide-bodied aircrafts. He said that the CAAB have instructed the airlines for ensuring social distancing in the aircraft and at the airports.
He described about health safety measures inside planes, saying, “In a plane that has three seats in a row, the one who sits in the middle must wear a face shield. If that passenger feels uncomfortable, then the airlines will have to provide PPE to those.”
Meanwhile, the government announced passengers from Europe, except UK, and 12 others countries will be barred to enter the country as coronavirus situation is worsening.
As per the CAAB directions, passengers from Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey and Uruguay would be stopped. CAAB’s this guidelines will come into effect from April 3, and remain in place until April 18.
After reviewing the ongoing Covid-19 situation, CAAB said it in a circular on Thursday.
The circular said airlines operating scheduled passenger flights from all those countries mentioned will be allowed to carry only transit passengers to Bangladesh.
The passengers must remain confined inside the terminal building only during their transit.
“The airlines will be operating special and cargo flights to and from these suspended countries,” said Airport Director Group Captain AHM Touhid-ul Ahsan to the journalists.
He said also that irrespective of the Covid-19 vaccination, all passengers coming to Bangladesh from other countries shall mandatorily hold to show PCR based Covid-19 negative certificate. That test should be done within 72 hours before the flight.
He said also that the passengers must complete a 14 days home quarantine if no Covid-19 symptoms are found on-arrival health check in Bangladesh.
However, if any Covid-19 symptoms are detected, the passengers will have to complete mandatory 14 days of institutional quarantine at government facilities or government-approved hotels at their own costs.
