Dhaka-Rajshahi flights resume Tuesday amid pandemic

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh has decided to resume domestic flights on the Dhaka-Rajshahi route on Tuesday after three and a half months of suspension amid the pandemic.

The flights will follow health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, said CAAB Chairman Md Mofidur Rahman.

Rahman has also signalled that CAAB will resume flights to Cox’s Bazar as soon as medical equipment is installed at the airport.

US-Bangla Airlines and Novoair will operate daily flights on the Dhaka-Rajshahi route as they have received the permission, they said. 

Novoair will operate two flights daily from Dhaka at 10.30 am and 4.30 pm. The flights will return to Dhaka from Rajshahi at 11.45 am and 5.45 pm.

US-Bangla will also operate two flights per day on the Dhaka-Rajshahi route from Tuesday. The flights will depart from Dhaka at 10 am and 2.30 pm for Rajshahi and return at 11.20 am and 3.50 pm. 

Minimum airfare for the Dhaka-Rajshahi route has been fixed at Tk 2,500, including tax, US-Bangla said in a statement.

Passengers will get a 12% discount on the tickets to be bought through the airlines’ website or mobile app.

Authorities had banned the flights on seven domestic routes for two and a half months in a bid to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. Flights to Sylhet, Chattogram and Syedpur from Dhaka resumed on Jun 1 after the government lifted the ban.

CAAB later permitted the airlines to operate regular flights to Jashore on Jun 11 and Barishal on Jul 12.

Bangladesh has direct flights to London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and China among the 17 international destinations. Also, transit passengers are allowed to fly to Qatar.