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The government has decided to waive storage charges of all imported cargos that have remained stuck in the warehouse of the national carrier Biman for delivery.
The waiver will be applicable to the goods that have been imported during the lockdown period since March 26 and onwards.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism on Wednesday issued a letter to the managing director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Mokabbir Hossain, asking the state airliner to halt levying charges.
The decision has been taken as undelivered goods have got stockpiled at the Biman's cargo warehouse located at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, the country's main gateway by air.
The amount of goods has more than doubled to 2,000 tonnes, outpacing the capacity of the inventory, which can store a maximum of 800 tonnes.
Under the existing virus-induced lockdown, the importers are facing difficulties in taking the delivery of their goods because of the shortage of labour and transportation besides the closure of factories. Only garment and jute mills reopened after April 25.
Many of products remained lying in the open field as the Biman warehouse has reached its storage limit.
On Tuesday, Biman also waived store charges on imported raw materials of the readymade garment exporters after a push from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, BGMEA, the lobbyist group.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, or FBCCI, also asked for exemption from the store rent of air cargos, known as demurrage.
Importers enjoy a free time for four days for keeping goods at cargo warehouse.
Biman charges Tk 25 per unit consisting of 50 kilogramme each day for the next seven days after free time expires and Tk 100 per unit each day for the next 10 days.
Importers have to pay Tk 300 per unit each day after the end of 21 days.
BSS adds: Biman Bangladesh Airlines has extended its ongoing flight suspension on all international and domestic routes till May 15 amid travel stalemate due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"By taking into account the evolving situation over Covid-19, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has cancelled all domestic and international flights till May 15," Biman said in a notice on its official website. However, on Monday, the government extended the ongoing ban on flight operation for the fourth consecutive time till May 7 to and from all European countries and the nations that restricted the entry of Bangladeshis to their territories as well as on all domestic routes over the coronavirus scare.
The commercial scheduled international flights will remain suspended till May 7 to and from 16 countries - Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, India, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, and the UK.