US charters plane to fly back its citizens from Bangladesh amid pandemic

The US is flying back its citizens from Bangladesh as a coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the world, taking hundreds of lives daily and bringing the global economy to its knees.

The US Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement on Saturday that a chartered plane carrying the Americans will leave Shahjalal International Airport on Monday.

The special flight is expected to land in Washington Dulles Airport via Doha.

Ambassador Earl Miller held a virtual meeting with the US nationals in Bangladesh before taking the decision on the special flight.

Britain on Friday advised its citizens to leave Bangladesh as well, but Biman Bangladesh Airlines said it will not operate flights to the US from Mar 31.

UK High Commissioner Robert Dickson told the Britons in Bangladesh in a video statement on Saturday that the flights are expected to resume on Apr 7.

“So if you’re booked on those flights, or are a British citizen considering your options, I urge you now to do two things. The first is to get in urgent touch with Biman or your travel agent, and make sure that if you were booked on those flights, you can be rebooked on those flights beginning again on the 7th of April,” he said.