The government has decided to arrange a special chartered flight to bring home Bangladeshi citizens stranded in the United Kingdom (UK) following the suspension of international flights in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Bangladesh High Commission in London, a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines will be operated by Bangladesh Air Force Welfare Trust (BAFWT) and has been scheduled to arrive in London Heathrow Airport on May 10 and depart the same day, reports UNB.
The Bangladesh High Commission’s London Covid-19 Emergency Repatriation Committee arranged the special chartered flight in close coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh and Bangladesh Air Force (BAF).
Since suspension of international commercial flights between Bangladesh and the UK in end-March, Bangladesh High Commission London undertook several initiatives and efforts to reach out to Bangladeshi citizens and students stranded in the UK, with an advisory to register with the High Commission for their repatriation facilitation.
Earlier, at the request of Bangladesh High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem to the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the British High Commission in Dhaka, the British government agreed to repatriate 100 Bangladeshi students stranded in the UK by a British government chartered flight dedicated to bringing back British nationals from Bangladesh.
However, given the overwhelming numbers of stranded Bangladeshis wishing to return to Bangladesh, the Bangladesh government decided to arrange a special flight chartered by the Bangladesh Air Force.
The High Commission of Bangladesh has conveyed its deep appreciation to the British government, in particular, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and FCO Minister for South Asia Lord Tariq Ahmad as well as the British High Commission in Dhaka for extending their hands of friendship and goodwill in willing to accommodate Bangladeshi students in their dedicated repatriation flight.
Since seats at the chartered flight are limited, passengers will be registered on a first-come-first-serve basis and subject to availability.
Following the registration, the High Commission Committee will get in touch individually with all registered passengers to notify them of further details regarding the flight.
For any query on the repatriation flight, the High Commission urged all concerned to contact the High Commission’s following telephone numbers: +44-07769441030, +44-07404687745 and emails - [email protected] and [email protected].
