Maldivian Airlines has been fined for flying passengers to Bangladesh without Covid-19 negative certificates.
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) Executive Magistrate's Court fined the airlines Tk 236,000, confirmed Airport Executive Magistrate Ahmed Zamil to Dhaka Tribune on Friday.
He said the airlines carried 200 Bangladeshi expatriates from Male to Dhaka on a special flight of Maldivian Airlines on Thursday.
Of them, 118 passengers failed to show Covid-19 negative certificates, while 82 others only had a Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) card, he added.
The Airport health authority allowed the BMET card holders to go home under special circumstances after health screening at the airport. On the other hand, the passengers without the Covid-19 negative certificates were sent to institutional quarantine, the magistrate mentioned.
The airlines ignored the directives from both Bangladesh and Maldives authorities to ensure passengers are carrying medical certificates and brought the expatriates from Maldives without any Covid-19 certificates, said Ahmed Zamil.
From December 5, the civil aviation authorities have made Covid-19 negative certificates compulsory for international flights coming to Bangladesh, aiming to control the second wave of Covid-19.
