Bangladesh Airlines cancel three daily flights as fliers count dives | India News – Times of India

KOLKATA: At least two daily flights between Kolkata and Dhaka and one between Kolkata and Chittagong have been canceled by airlines operating between the two countries as passenger numbers continue to fall due to ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, attacks on minorities and restrictions on travel. to Indian visa restrictions.
Bangladesh flag bearer Biman Bangladesh has reduced flights between Kolkata and Dhaka from twice daily to a single flight per day. The country’s private airline, US-Bangla Airlines, has reduced its frequency to Dhaka from twice a day to once and stopped flying to Chittagong.
Indian airline IndiGo is still operating its twice-daily flight schedule, but sources say the airline is closely monitoring the situation in Dhaka. They said the decline in passenger numbers in recent months, which has been further accentuated in recent days, was cause for concern.
The number of flights from Kolkata to Dhaka/Chittagong has fallen from 125 in September to 97 in November. As a result, the number of departing passengers fell from 15,479 in September to 12,747 in November. The number of arrivals in Kolkata from Bangladesh has fallen from 114 in September to 96 in November, resulting in a drop in passenger numbers from 12,540 in September to 10,121 now.
The number of flights to B’desh-Kol has halved since July
Calcutta: Bangladeshi airlines have been the worst hit by the crisis in the country. The number of Biman Bangladesh flights from Calcutta has fallen from 59 in July to 28 in November, while US-Bangla Airlines has fared worse with the number of departures falling from 84 in July to 24 now.
In contrast, the number of IndiGo flight departures has fallen from 62 in July to 45 in November, while the number of arrivals during this period has fallen from 64 in July to 44 now.
While Bangladeshis who depend on Calcutta for both trade and healthcare are hit hard, part of the economy in Calcutta, especially hotels, restaurants and hospitals that serve Bangladeshis, has taken a major hit. Hotel occupancy in the Marquis Street-Sudder Street belt has fallen to 20%, while shops and restaurants in and around New Market have witnessed a 65% to 70% decline in sales.
“Tourism, both conventional and local, as well as business, is affected by the ongoing unrest there. For most middle-class Bangladeshis, India is a foreign country within easy reach of both medical and religious tourism, where affordability, food and language are not important. Unless the situation is resolved, everyone will feel the pressure,” said Anjani Dhanuka, president of Travel Agents’ Association of India (East).