Bangladesh has continued fights to and from China only amid the coronavirus pandemic because Beijing had already tackled the situation well, an official says.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) also appreciated the fact that China was sending medical aid, such as masks and testing kits, to help Bangladesh fight COVID-19, its Chairman Md Mafidur Rahman said on Saturday.
“And thirdly, China is the only country that hasn’t banned flights from Bangladesh,” he said.
According to bdnews24.com, many countries halted flights to and from China, where the novel coronavirus first appeared, when the outbreak started to get larger by the end of January.
Later, global air connectivity almost came to a halt as the outbreak devolved into a pandemic, but Europe had already become the new epicentre.
Two of the first coronavirus patients reported in Bangladesh on Mar 8 were Italy returnees while the other was a close contact.
The government curbed air travels by the end of March to slow the spread of the virus as the outbreak was getting bigger amid reports that the overseas returnees were not following quarantine rules.
Mafidur said China Southern Airlines is operating two flights and US-Bangla Airlines another every week. China Eastern plans to resume its flights to and from Bangladesh.
The CAAB chief said only a few passengers are flying the route now.
Those returning from China still require going into 14-day home quarantine.
Mafidur sounded optimistic that the number of passengers will rise in a few days.
He said the airlines and airports have been asked to be prepared for a possible loosening of the restrictions on flights to and from other countries as well.
“But,” he added, “It will depend on the overall coronavirus situation.”
CAAB will sit with the airlines on Sunday to discuss which routes can be reopened initially, Mafidur said.
