114 Bangladeshis return from UK

A total of 114 Bangladeshi nationals stranded in the UK returned home yesterday by a charter flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines amid flight suspension due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The flight landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from London at 9:40am, Biman Deputy General Manager (Public Relation) Tahera Khondokar told the media through WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by Bangladesh High Commission in London said the Bangladesh government's special flight, BG 4041, departed London at 7:45pm London local time on Sunday for Dhaka carrying the Bangladeshis. Most of the returnees are students, it added.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem saw them off at the Heathrow Airport.

As per the Bangladesh government decision, all returnees would have to be sent to a 14-day institutional quarantine if they fail to show medical certificate.

Apart from the UK, Bangladesh has so far brought back stranded Bangladeshis from India, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar and Malaysia while charter flights have also been planned to bring nationals back from USA and Malaysia.

On May 5, Bangladesh extended the ongoing ban on scheduled passenger flight operation for the fifth consecutive time till May 16 with all countries except for China.

Different countries, including the USA, the UK, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Bhutan, Myanmar, Germany and different European countries so far operated several special charter flights amid the flight suspension to take their citizens back from Bangladesh.