Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, left Dhaka for his country via a special flight this morning.  Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen saw him off at Dhaka airport.  Read: Bangladesh will offer Bengal goats as ‘gift’ to Brunei Sultan: Momen He also handed over an album to the Sultan containing photos of his two-day state visit that ended Sunday evening. 

Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok has facilitated repatriation of a group of 61 Bangladeshi, Thai and other foreign nationals from Thailand to Bangladesh by a special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight. Since outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the Embassy of Bangladesh, Bangkok has so far facilitated 14 special flights from Bangkok to Dhaka in coordination with the authorities concerned in Bangladesh and Thailand.  Read: 78 Bangladeshis, foreign nationals arrive from Thailand Officers of the Embassy saw the passengers off at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport and extended necessary consularand other assistance for their departure formalities. The latest flight was arranged on self-payment basis in line with the Bangladesh Government’s commitment to extend all possible assistance and support for repatriation of stranded Bangladeshis abroad.  The Biman Bangladesh flight arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, said a media release on Sunday.  Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand Mohammed Abdul Hye thanked the Thai Government for extending their cooperation in repatriation of the stranded Bangladeshi nationals. Read: Thailand axes travel corridors with Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan  

US-Bangla Airlines is going to start a weekly special flight on Dhaka-Guangzhou route from Saturday. Civil Aviation Authority has permitted the airline to run this flight maintaining special health protocols. Also read: US-Bangla to operate international flights on four routes from Saturday Every Saturday the 164-seat Dhaka-Guangzhou-Dhaka flight will leave Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:10 pm for China’s Guangzhou. On Sundays the flight will leave Guangzhou for Dhaka at 5 am. Read: Bangladesh to operate special flights to carry overseas workers As directed by government, all passengers must have Covid-19 negative certificates at least 72 hours before flying. In addition, returning passengers have to stay at institutionalized quarantine or hotels for 14 days at their own cost. Read US-Bangla to operate international flights on four routes from Saturday

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday said the government has made coordinated efforts to help expatriates return to their workplaces in five countries by special flights from Saturday without any hassle. “Many reached out to us after the announcement of lockdown saying they’ll lose their jobs if they can’t go abroad, and their visa validity or Iqama will expire. We don’t want to see our expatriates face any difficulty,” he told UNB. Also read:Development Bangladesh's priority, not defence equipment: FM The government decided to allow airlines, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, to operate special flights to five countries -- Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore -- in an effort to help stranded Bangladeshi expatriate workers join their workplaces. Asked about possible rise in ticket fare, the Foreign Minister said normally the fares of special flight tickets remain comparatively higher than that of regular flight tickets as the return flights will be empty. However, he said, the ground handling charge will remain the same which will help keep the ticket fares at a tolerable level. Dr Momen said travel arrangements will be made on a priority basis for those who have visas and work permits. Those who bought tickets for April 14, 15 and 16 but could not leave Dhaka for their destination due to suspension of flight operations, arrangements will be made for them, too on a priority basis so that they can reach their destinations, he said. Also read: World starts looking at Bangladesh in a new light: FM Dr Momen said the government has made arrangements to bring those passengers in Dhaka who purchased tickets from Chattogram as the special flights will be operated from Dhaka only. “We’re seeking to maintain the normal schedule for the special flights but it would not be known as commercial flights,” said the Foreign Minister. He said the relevant ministries and departments are working in a coordinated way, and police will not stop them who booked tickets and have Covid-19 test reports. “We’re working in a coordinated way.” The government has decided to discourage expatriate Bangladeshis to return home during the lockdown, unless there is an emergency. “If they come, they’ll have to follow a minimum 14-day mandatory institutional quarantine,” Dr Momen said. To convey the message to expatriates, support from the social media platforms, Bangladesh missions’ websites and community leaders will be taken. Each of the returnees will have to show Covid-19 negative certificate which is a must, and the Bangladesh missions abroad will prepare the lists of those who need to come to Bangladesh on an emergency need. Also read:Singapore, Romania to recruit 12,000 Bangladeshis: FM The Armed Forces Division will take adequate preparations for institutional quarantine facilities in Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet. The decisions were taken at a virtual inter-ministerial meeting held on Thursday chaired by Foreign Minister Dr Momen. Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and senior officials of the ministries concerned attended. Among the expatriate Bangladeshi workers who want to go to these five countries having BMET clearance issued by the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, will be given priority in flying abroad. However, in the case of these countries, those who have visit visas, but do not have BMET clearance, will not get priority in going abroad. Bangladeshis who will go to the UAE for work with visit visas can get a BMET clearance. During the lockdown, those who wish to travel to countries other than the five mentioned countries in the case of emergency will be able to travel on special flights as transit-passengers subject to clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The government has decided to operate special flights of national flag-carrier Biman to five countries, including four in the Middle East with high concentration of Bangladeshi expat workers from April 17. As disclosed by Tahera Khandaker, deputy general manager (public relations) of Biman on Thursday,  these special flights can be availed to fly to three cities in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah), two of the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Oman's Muscat, and Qatar's Doha in the ME, as well as the city-state Singapore. "The passengers who have made reservations for scheduled flights, set to operate after 6am Saturday, are requested to be at the airport with Covid-19 negative certificates six hours before the departure time," she said. Also read: Bangladesh to operate special flights to carry overseas workers The government suspended the operation of all domestic and international passenger flights to restrict the spread of Covid-19 in the country for the duration of the 'all-out lockdown' that came into effect on April 14. However, the special flight services will allow overseas workers currently stuck in Bangladesh for whatever reason to return to their places of work amid the suspension of regular flights. "Special flights will be arranged for the overseas workers who have got stuck in the country following the government's strict lockdown. Bangladeshis who work in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Singapore can leave the country under the special arrangements," Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad told UNB on Wednesday. Also read: CAAB to suspend international flights from Apr 14 "The five countries are still open for Bangladesh as there is no problem in those countries," he said. The minister also said, "The recruiting agencies concerned are responsible for bringing the overseas workers with Covid-19 negative certificates to the airport and they'll have to follow health guidelines as well." Answering a query about how many workers have got stuck, the minister said: "It's difficult to say about the exact number but it might be 25000-30,000 as the recruiting agencies claim." Read Over 200 protest flight cancellation at Dhaka airport

The government has decided to operate special flights to five countries for carrying Bangladeshi overseas workers amid the lockdown imposed on Wednesday to stem the spread of Coronavirus. “Special flights will be arranged for the overseas workers who have got stuck in the country following the government’s strict lockdown. Bangladeshi workers who work in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Singapore can leave the country under the special arrangements,” Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad told UNB on Wednesday. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) will formulate a work plan in this regard, Imran Ahmad said. Replying to a question when the special flight operation will begin, the minister said, “It can be said that the decision is almost final as we held two meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. There’ll be another meeting on Thursday where the process of operating flights will be finalised.” Also read: Bangladesh put under complete lockdown amid Covid spike The five countries are still open for Bangladesh as there is no problem in those countries, he said.

The second special flight carrying 153 stranded Bangladeshis from the UK is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on early Sunday.

More Bangladeshi citizens will return home from the United Kingdom (UK) as the government has arranged the second special repatriation flight on June 13.

Some 154 more Thai nationals left Bangladesh for Bangkok on Saturday by a special flight.

Australian High Commission in Dhaka has said they need to re-schedule the special flight, initially scheduled for May 28, and are currently working with the airline to arrange a departure in the second week of June.   The High Commission said they will provide further details to everyone who has confirmed their interest in the third flight as soon as they can confirm them.   There is currently a shortage of quarantine accommodation in Victoria. Melbourne and Adelaide are the only airports permitted for special flights from Dhaka, said the Australian Mission in Dhaka.    The third special flight from Bangladesh will help more Australian citizens return home.    "Due to the ongoing flight suspension, we are considering arranging a third special flight to Colombo to allow passengers to travel by commercial means to Melbourne," said the High Commission in a message.   The High Commission says they need a minimum of 120 full fare passengers to ensure this flight goes ahead.   It said they cannot guarantee that they will be able to organise any further special flights following the departure of the third flight.    The flight is only open to Australian passport holders, Australian permanent visa holders and their spouses, legal guardians or children.   At this stage most scheduled passenger flights to and from Bangladesh remain suspended.    The flight suspension is planned to last until May 30, but it has been extended a number of times and may be extended again, said the High Commission.