Covid-19: Emirates, Etihad and flydubai cancel flights to Bangladesh amid ban

Bangladesh has suspended all inbound and outbound international and domestic passenger flights because of the rising number of Covid-19 cases

Emirates, flydubai and Etihad have cancelled flights to and from Bangladesh amid an international travel ban effective April 14 until at least April 20. Courtesy Emirates

International flights to and from Bangladesh are cancelled from Wednesday, according to the country's Civil Aviation Authority.

Domestic flights have also been temporarily halted as part of the ban that's been put in place amid a spike in Covid-19 case numbers in the South Asian country.

Overseas hauls will initially be suspended for one week, from Wednesday to April 20. During this time, cargo, repatriation and medical flights will continue to operate.

UAE airlines cancel services

Emirates will cancel flights to and from Dubai and Dhaka as of Wednesday. The last Emirates flight to operate before services are grounded will be EK 585, scheduled to depart Dhaka at 1.40am on Wednesday.

Emirates' website has been updated to reflect the change. "We regret the inconvenience caused, and affected customers should contact their booking agent or Emirates call centre for rebooking," it states.

Flydubai has also announced it is cancelling passenger flights. The low-cost airline is currently operating to both Dhaka and Chattogram.

"In line with the directives issued by the authorities, flydubai flights to Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport (CGP) and Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) have been cancelled from April 14 until April 20," a flydubai representative told The National.

"If a passenger’s flight has been cancelled, they will be offered a refund or the option to rebook to a later date."

Etihad, the national airline of the UAE, has also suspended flights between Bangladesh and Abu Dhabi. The airline's website states: "Due to an international travel ban introduced by the authorities of Bangladesh from April 14 to 20, 2021, you will be unable to travel to Bangladesh during this period."

The ban was announced after Bangladesh authorities imposed a nationwide seven-day lockdown as Covid-19 cases increased.

Chartered helicopter flights are also included in the ban, a move that looks set to impact hundreds of scheduled flights operated by several airlines around the world.

Any travellers arriving in Bangladesh at the moment must complete 14 days of institutional quarantine at their own expense.

The country has recorded 684,756 positive cases of the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. That's the 33rd highest number of cases in the world.

Last Wednesday, Bangladesh recorded a record high 7,626 cases in one day.