Staff Reporter :
The local airlines are experiencing a small number of passengers in domestic flights even ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of the Muslim community to be observed on August 1.
The air travel in Bangladesh resumed on June 1 after a lull of two montns’ coronavirus ban.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh allowed the planes to carry 75 pre cent passengers of their capacity, but the passengers seemed to have turned their faces with aversion.
Moreover, Covid-19 pandemic has ultimately changed the aviation behaviour across the world including Bangladesh.
It was known that before novel coronavirus pandemic, a domestic ticket for any route in Bangladesh was dear. All tickets were seen to have been sold out three months before Eid. For getting one ticket the passengers had to wait a long time.
The airlines authorities said, situations have ultimately changed. Before pandemic there was huge rush for tickets and passengers were high but now it is different. Two days remain to celebrate Eid but the airlines companies are not going to add more flights.
Novoair Senior Manager, Marketing and Sales AKM Mahfuzul Alam said, only two days remain to observe the Eid-ul-Azha, but we have no pressure for passengers. During previous years Eid time, we had operated more flights as well as regular flights. This year situation demands no extra domestic flights.
He said, Novoair is operating all domestic flights in all route except Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar.
He further said, their airlines is operating daily four flights on Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka- Syedpur, two flights on Dhaka-Rajhshahi, Dhaka-Barishal and Dhaka- Jashore.
Another private airline US-Bangla airlines is operating all flights on all routes except Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar. They are now operating five flights on Dhaka-Chattogram route, two on Dhaka-Sylhet route, four on Dhaka-Syedpur route, two on Dhaka-Rajshahi route, four on Dhaka-Jashore route and two on Dhaka-Barishal route.
US-Bangla airlines CEO Sikdar Mesbah Uddin Ahmed said, there is no pressure for passengers before Eid. So there is no option of giving extra flights. A kind of fear is at work among passengers due to the coronavirus. As a result, we are not getting enough passengers.
However, the national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh airlines is operating less flights than other two private airlines. Biman Bangladesh is now operating only Dhaka- Chattogram, Dhaka-Syedpur and Dhaka-Sylhet flights.
Md Mokabbir Hossain, Managing Director & CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines said, the aviation sectors are severely affected by coronavirus. All airlines are fighting for passengers. Where we had carried more passengers during previous Eid time, now there are small amount of passengers at all.
Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mofidur Rahman said, it reality that peoples are fearing travel air for novel coronavirus. After that we are trying our best to catch the passenger following various ways. We have to wait for regular situation.
