‘OECD countries should charter flight to repatriate their citizens’

The government has suggested member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to look for chartered flights instead of regular flights to repatriate their citizens as Bangladesh wants to stop further transmission of coronavirus.

"We’ve stopped flight operations considering safety of our people as imported virus initially infected people in the country," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Saturday, reports UNB.

Referring to Australia, the foreign minister said Australia has suspended both incoming and outgoing regular flights there but they want Bangladesh flights to remain open.

No OECD member raised question when Sri Lanka and India suspended all flights.

The foreign minister suggested the British government to charter special flight considering possible danger of virus transmission.

He said the British citizens, if anybody willing to go, can avail of second chartered flight of the US government which will leave Dhaka on Sunday.

The US chartered flight will go by Doha and the British citizens can go to the UK from Doha.

The UK wants Bangladesh to keep flight operation open on Dhaka-London-Manchester-Sylhet routes. However, the government has not taken any decision yet on resuming flights.

"Let's see. There’s a committee in place. It’ll take the decision," Dr Momen said.

On Mar 29, the British government said it is monitoring the situation closely but does not have plans to introduce repatriation flights from Dhaka.

British High Commission in Dhaka said they are working with the Bangladesh authorities and airlines to support British nationals who want to return to the UK.

"We’ve been told that flights will resume on April 7 and we are monitoring this closely," said the High Commission in its latest travel advisory on Sunday.

The British government is "prioritising repatriation flights" in countries where there are very large numbers of stranded British nationals, where there have been no commercial options available for some time, and where no further flights are scheduled for the foreseeable future, the latest travel advisory reads.

The US Department of State and US Embassy in Dhaka have arranged second special chartered flight for US citizens and their families.

The flight will leave Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday. It will include a Dhaka to Doha, Qatar leg and an onward connecting flight to Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC.  

Passengers will remain on the airplane in Doha.

This flight is not free and all passengers will need to reimburse the US government for the cost of the flight, said the US Embassy in Dhaka.