Kolkata-Dhaka flights to resume today after 4-month Covid second wave break – Times of India

KOLKATA: IndiGo Airlines and Biman Bangladesh are finally set to operate flights that are filled to the maximum permissible 90% capacity between Kolkata and Dhaka on Sunday after more than four months with two more carriers Air India and US Bangla Airlines set to also commence operations on the sector later in the week.
Flight under the air bubble agreement between Dhaka and Kolkata had been suspended during the second wave in April.
Flights on the sector have been cancelled twice, once nearly a fortnight ago and again on Friday due to delay in nod from first the Indian civil aviation authority and then the Bangladesh counterpart.

On Thursday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) accepted the proposal of the Indian civil aviation ministry on the resumption of flights and issued a circular to start operations from Sunday.
On Friday, both Air India and Biman Bangladesh had scheduled flights that had 90% booking but were cancelled.
From Sunday, Biman Bangladesh will fly to Kolkata two days-a-week apart from services on the Dhaka-Delhi route. Two Bangladeshi private carriers US Bangla Airlines and NovoAir will also start services later.
IndiGo will also commence operations on Sunday and fly to Dhaka two days-a-week on Sunday and Thursday. Air India will operate from Monday. Its twice-a-week flights will be on Monday and Friday.
While the prospect of revival of travel between the two countries has lifted the spirit of businesses in central Kolkata, particularly in the Free School Street-Marquis Street-Sudder Street-Lindsay Street-Park Street belt where trade depends heavily on Bangladeshi customers, the healthcare sector in the city is also heaving a sigh of relief as Bangladeshi patients contribute substantially to the business of city hospitals.
Bangladeshis account for over 50% sales at New Market, 70% business in hotels, guest houses and foreign currency exchanges on Sudder Street, Marquis Street, Free School Street, Royd Street and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and 80% of the transport business in the area.
However, a 14-day mandatory home quarantine announced by Bangladesh for passengers travelling from India to the country has come as a damper as it will discourage Indian businessmen from travelling to the country.
According to sources at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, they will also have to get tested for Covid-19 from a PCR laboratory in the country. At present, both countries are issuing business and emergency medical visas but not tourist visas.