Airports Ready to Resume Domestic Flights Monday

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital and three other airports in Chattogram, Sylhet, and Syedpur are scheduled to resume domestic flights from 1 June (Monday), retaining all safety regulations after more than two months of suspension in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali visited the HSIA domestic terminal today to see the arrangements being made for the safety of passengers and airport and airline workers in the light of the current pandemic.

"We have taken all preparations at airports so that people can make use of flights that maintain social distances and other health codes to protect themselves from coronavirus," he said after visiting the airport.

On Thursday, the Government agreed to restart domestic flight operations on a limited scale after more than two months from 1 June and to prolong the duration.

Continued ban on international routes until 15 June to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The domestic flight will initially fly on Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Syedpur routes on a small scale, although the continuing international flight suspension will run until 15 June.

The government will allow the re-opening of all seven domestic destinations, including Jessore and Rajshahi, the Minister of State said.

The state minister also visited the construction work of the HSIA’s third terminal. “The construction work was not suspended even during the government’s declared general holidays due to COVID-19 pandemic and I am hopeful that the third terminal would be built within the stipulated timeframe, he said.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Senior Secretary Mohibul Haque and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice-Marshal Md Mofidur Rahman were also present.

The Senior Secretary said the arrangements that have been made to ensure that flight operations follow safety standards and physical distances are adequate.

CAAB Charmin said all the airlines must follow the health guidelines, including the social distancing instructions, issued by his office, to operate the domestic flights.

The local airlines have already taken preparations to resume domestic flight operations following the CAAB prescribed health guidelines including disinfecting the aircraft before boarding passengers every time.

The national flag carrier Biman and Novoair each has a plan to operate seven flights daily while US-Bangla is preparing for 10 daily flights on three routes, airline official sources said.

Last week, the CAAB prepared a guideline with directions to the airlines on how the flights will be operated following all health instructions and social distancing after the withdrawal of the current suspension.

According to the guideline, all airlines have to keep at least 30 per cent of the seats vacant on each flight in order to ensure social distance by keeping at least a seat gap between the two passengers if they are not of the same family.

About the seat planning, it further instructed that the frontal or the last row of seats on each flight must remain vacant for carrying any passenger to be found suspected of contracting coronavirus.

All staffers of airlines will have to wear masks, gloves and disposable head caps while dealing with passengers at the check-in counters while cabin crew will wear N95 or equivalent protection facial masks, goggles, disposable

rubber gloves and change facial masks every four hours, said the guideline.

Members of the crew will avoid physical interaction with passengers and will provide passengers with only the required in-flight facilities, so no food or drink will be provided on flights with a travel duration of less than one and a half hours.

Passengers’ body temperature will be measured and they have to stand in queues in front of the check-in counters and in front of the boarding gates maintaining social distancing.

Source: BSS