Bangladesh extends ban on all passenger flights, bar those from China, to April 7

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh or CAAB has extended ban on all domestic flights and almost all international flights to Apr 7 amid a shutdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

CAAB spokesman Mohammad Sohel Kamruzzaman told bdnews24.com on Saturday that they have extended the ban by a week.

Cargo flights will operate normally, he added.

Bangladesh and most other countries have already put unprecedented travel curbs to battle the pandemic.

Bangladesh has suspended public transport and closed offices for 10 days until Apr 4 to keep people at home as part of efforts to stem the outbreak. Schools and other educational institutions are closed until Apr 9.

Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka is almost empty on Friday as most flights are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Friday said its last flights to the UK, which was not under the purview of a ban on arrivals from Europe, will leave Dhaka on Tuesday and return the following day.

Besides Europe, Bangladesh suspended air connectivity with India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Turkey, Malaysia, Oman and Singapore on Mar 21.

Out of the rest of the flights, those to and from Thailand also stopped.

Now, some flights to and from China are still operating, officials said.