Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said that flight operations between Bangladesh and India will resume on August 20.
On Tuesday, he said that India had agreed to resume operations based on a request made by Bangladesh considering demands to facilitate the movement of passengers and goods.
Earlier, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) sent a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India seeking its approval for resumption of the flight operations from August 11 under the air bubble agreement.
As per the pact, both countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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In response to the letter, the Indian authorities hinted to give their consent at any day after India’s Independence Day celebration on August 15.
The CAAB said that the passengers to and from Bangladesh and India have to strictly follow some Covid-19 protocol to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
In the letter, CAAB proposed 21 flights per week for the operators of both countries for the time being.
Earlier, the Indian Visa Application Centres (IVAC) in Bangladesh resumed operations from August 10 in the wake of the lifting of countrywide lockdown in both countries.
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More than 3,500 Bangladeshis travel to India daily on an average basis and of them over 10% used to travel for medical purposes.
Out of the foreigners who visit India for medical purposes, 45% are from Bangladesh, according to the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
More than 13.7 million foreigners took treatment in India between January 2018 and March 2019. They included 2.8 million Bangladeshis.
