At least two daily flights on the Kolkata-Dhaka route and only one flight between Kolkata and Chittagong have been cancelled. The airlines have taken this decision due to a significant drop in the number of passengers travelling between India and Bangladesh.
According to a report in the Times of India, Bangladesh’s national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines is operating one flight daily on the Kolkata-Dhaka route instead of twice. The country’s private airline US-Bangla Airlines is operating one flight daily on the Dhaka route instead of twice and has completely stopped flights on the Chittagong route.
Indian airline IndiGo is still operating two flights daily. However, sources said that the airline is closely monitoring the situation in Dhaka. The downward trend in passenger numbers has become more pronounced in the last few months, which has become a cause for concern for the airlines.
The number of flights on the Dhaka/Chittagong route from Kolkata has come down from 125 in September to 97 in November. As a result, the number of passengers has fallen from 15,479 in September to 12,747 in November. The number of flights arriving from Dhaka/Chittagong to Kolkata has fallen from 114 in September to 96 in November, while the number of passengers has fallen from 12,540 to 10,121.
Bangladeshi airlines have been hit the hardest by the ongoing crisis. Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ number of flights from Kolkata has fallen from 59 in July to 28 in November. On the other hand, US-Bangla Airlines’ number of flights has fallen from 84 to 24.
In contrast, IndiGo’s number of flights has fallen from 62 in July to 45 in November. The number of flights arriving during this period has fallen from 64 to 44.
Bangladeshi nationals regularly travel to Kolkata for business and medical treatment. A part of Kolkata’s economy, especially hotels, restaurants and hospitals, is heavily dependent on Bangladeshis. These businesses have been severely affected. Hotel bookings in the Marquis Street-Sudder Street area have fallen by 20 percent. And sales at shops and restaurants near the New Market area have fallen by 65-70 percent. Anjani Dhanuka, chairman of the Eastern Region of the Travel Agents Association of India, said, “Tourism, both traditional and local tourism, and business activities have been affected due to the current unrest. For most middle-class Bangladeshis, India is an accessible foreign destination, attractive for medical and religious tourism. There are no major barriers here in terms of language, food and cost. If the situation does not change, everyone will suffer.”
