DHAKA, May 3: The government has decided to arrange a chartered flight on May 10 to take home Bangladeshi citizens who have been stranded in the United Kingdom (UK) amid flight suspension due to deadly COVID- 19 pandemic.The special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines will be chartered and operated by Bangladesh Air Force Welfare Trust (BAFWT) and is scheduled to arrive at London Heathrow Airport on 10 May 2020, and depart the same day, said a press release of Bangladesh High Commission in London received here today.
It said since suspension of commercial flights between Bangladesh and the UK in end-March, Bangladesh High Commission London undertook several initiatives and serious 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.
In view of a large number of Bangladeshi students having registered with the “Bangladesh High Commission, London COVID-19 Emergency Repatriation Committee”, the High Commission in close coordination with the Bangladesh foreign ministry and Bangladesh Air Force (BAF), has successfully arranged this special chartered flight to be operated by Biman’s aircraft for all stranded Bangladesh citizens in the UK.
Earlier, at the request of Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem to the UK Foreign and 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, said the release.
At this stage, the High Commission calls upon all Bangladeshi citizens stranded in the UK and willing to return to Bangladesh to urgently register with the High Commission at the following link https://forms.gle/4x4JKfy9jxGDaujL7.
Since seats at the chartered flight are limited, passengers will be registered on a first-come-first-serve basis and subject to availability, it said, adding that following the registration, the High Commission Committee will get in touch individually with all registered passengers to notify them further details about the flight.
Passengers currently stranded in Bangladesh and willing to return to the UK availing the chartered flight should urgently register with the Bangladesh Air Force Welfare Trust at the following link https://www.baf.mil.bd/bafwt/tickets.php.
Bangladesh High Commission London would be working in close coordination with Bangladesh Air Force, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Home Office, UK Border Agency and London Heathrow Airport Authorities to facilitate the smooth repatriation of Bangladeshis stranded in the UK and incoming passengers returning from Bangladesh.
The release said for any further query on the repatriation flight, all concerned may contact the High Commission’s following telephone numbers: +44-07769441030, +44-07404687745 and emails: mahfuza.sultana@mofa.gov.bd and monirul.hoque@mofa.gov.bd.
On April 27, Bangladesh extended 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 fear.
So far, Bangladesh government facilitated several chartered flights to bring back its nationals from a number of countries, including India, Singapore and Thailand.
Different countries, including the USA, the UK, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Bhutan, and different European countries also operated several special chartered flights amid the flight suspension to repatriate their citizens from here.
Currently, regular commercial flights are being operated from Bangladesh to only China.
