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Pandemic economics: No more deals on flights

The domestic flight operations will partially resume from Monday

Update : 31 May 2020, 11:45 AM

The domestic airlines will not offer "cheap tickets" anymore, although the selling price for tickets will remain unchanged.   

The domestic flight operations will partially resume from Monday in the country after a hiatus of almost two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshall M Mafidur Rahman said the airlines used to sell tickets in two categories -- higher and lower price range. 

"Earlier, passengers could buy tickets at cheaper prices depending on demand and availability. But now it seems there will be no 'saver' and 'super saver' offers."

However, the "actual price" of tickets will not increase, said the CAAB chairman.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to many countries imposing indefinite entry exit bans which have affected the aviation sector across the globe, causing a sharp decrease in the number of air travellers.

Mafidur Rahman said: "As per the demand of the airlines, 24 flights will be operated from Dhaka to Chittagong, Sylhet, and Syedpur routes from the first day. Of those, 11 flights will be operated to Chittagong, four to Sylhet, and nine to Syedpur."

He said the airports allowed to resume flight operations have already installed thermal scanners and adopted other safety measures for screening the passengers.

"Domestic flights on the remaining routes will resume after the other airports ensure guidelines given by the health authorities." 

The ban on passenger flights to and from international routes will remain effective until June 15, Mafidur said before adding: "It may be lifted earlier if other countries withdraw travel bans."

Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, India, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom (UK) will come under the restriction, he added.

Special flights, air ambulance, emergency landing flights, and cargo flights will remain out of the purview of the ban.

A week after the first virus cases were reported on March 8, Bangladesh suspended visa-on-arrivals for all countries on March 15 and banned some international flights the next day.

Two weeks later, on March 31, the civil aviation authority suspended all passenger flights till April 7, which was gradually extended to May 30.

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