542 foreign nationals leave Dhaka for home

A total of 542 Canadian and Australian citizens, who were stranded in Bangladesh following outbreak of Covid-19, left Dhaka for their respective countries by separate chartered flights from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Of them, 257 were Canadian citizens and 285 were Australians, sources at the airport said.

A special flight of Qatar Airways left for Toronto at around 10pm on Thursday, said an official of Aviation Security (AVSEC) at Dhaka airport.

Besides, a total of 285 Australian citizens left Dhaka by a chartered flight of Sri Lankan Air at around 9:30pm.

That flight, while coming in, brought back 30 stranded Bangladeshi nationals from Sri Lanka, a spokesperson of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh said.

The Canadian and Australian High Commissions in Dhaka, with help of the Bangladesh government, chartered the flights for their citizens, mostly expatriate Bangladeshis, who opted to go back home amid the pandemic.

On Tuesday, 214 Canadian citizens first left Dhaka for Toronto by a chartered flight of Qatar Airways.

Earlier, citizens of USA, Japan, Malaysia, Bhutan and various European countries also left Dhaka by chartered flights.

Regular air communication to and from Dhaka has remained suspended with all countries except for China since the middle of March, to contain spread of Covid-19.