Stranded In India: 3 special flights to bring them home

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will operate three special flights from Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai to bring back Bangladeshis stranded in India due to suspension of flights following the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Kolkata-Dhaka flight will be operated on May 1, Delhi-Dhaka on May 2 and Mumbai-Dhaka on May 3, Biman MD and CEO M Mokabbir Hossain told the media through a WhatsApp message.

On April 25, the national flag carrier operated a charter flight from Delhi to bring back 166 Bangladeshis who were stranded in India for over a month.

At least 2,500 Bangladeshis including students, tourists and medical treatment seekers remained stranded in different cities of India, especially in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad due to the outbreak, the foreign ministry said in a statement on April 3.

Following the outbreak, the Indian government suspended air communication with Bangladesh, among other countries.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi in a recent statement said they are working to bring back all stranded Bangladeshis from India.

A number of Bangladesh nationals have already returned home from Kolkata, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and other border areas with the support of Bangladesh missions there, the statement said.