From Cox’s Bazaar: US-Bangla plans to operate flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, one of the Middle East destinations, at the beginning of the New Year.
At the same time, US-Bangla has decided to launch flights to Colombo, the capital of SAARC friendly countries and Male, the capital of Maldives. Captain Sikder Mezbahuddin Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of US-Bangla Airlines, said this at a press conference organized by US-Bangla Airlines in Cox's Bazaar, one of the tourist cities of Bangladesh, on Sunday (November 22) night.
It was further informed at the press conference that the airlines authorities have decided to add two more Boeing 737-800 aircraft to the US-Bangla fleet to ensure smooth flow of current and future international routes.
In addition, US-Bangla is planning various internal routes including Jashore-Chittagong, Syedpur-Cox's Bazaar, Sylhet-Chittagong by adding two brand new ATR 72-600 to the fleet. He said the world today is devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Socially and economically the world is devastated today.
First of all, the aviation and tourism industries have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Airways around the world were in a state of lockdown. Aviation Industries has suffered losses since last February-March. Until June-July, almost all types of air communication were closed. At present, US-Bangla Airlines, like other airlines, has started operating short-haul international routes following various hygiene guidelines.
Captain Sikder Mezbahuddin Ahmed said, "Since October 26, under the Air Bubble Agreement between Bangladesh and India, we have started operating flights from Dhaka to Kolkata and Chennai and from Chittagong to Chennai." You will be happy to know that for the first time since November 16, US-Bangla has started operating two flights a week from Sylhet, one of the two destinations in Bangladesh.
At present it operates flights from Dhaka to Kolkata, Chennai, Muscat, Doha, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Guangzhou. Besides, US-Bangla has continued to operate flights from Chittagong to Muscat, Doha and Chennai. During Covid-19, US-Bangla Airlines was the only domestic airline that continued to operate on a single route from Dhaka to Guangzhou. It has operated more than 100 special flights around the world, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Delhi, Chennai, Male, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Hanoi, and Paris, France, to bring back Bangladeshis stranded in different countries during the Coronavirus pandemic.
He said US-Bangla had tried to keep the revenue stream afloat by temporarily converting passenger aircraft into cargo aircraft with the permission of the Bangladesh government and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Highlighting US Bengla’s support efforts against corona, he said that at the beginning of the corona pandemic, PPE, hand gloves, masks, sanitizers, infrared thermometers and other medical supplies were being distributed at Dhaka Medical, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and BIRDEM hospitals. And the US-Bangla authorities gave gifts to various law enforcement agencies. US-Bangla has also distributed gifts to about 10,000 needy people during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr.