Domestic flights operation resumed on Monday (Jun 1) on Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Saidpur routes on a limited scale after more than two months of suspension amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Senior Secretary Mohibul Haque told UNB news agency that as the number passengers was less than usual as some flights have been canceled. These flights will be operated when there will be enough passengers, he added.
He said all measures have been taken at the airports to ensure health safety of passengers of domestic flights.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mofidur Rahman said that flights on the rest of the routes will resume in phases.
He said all the airlines must follow the health guidelines, including the social distancing instructions, issued by his office, to operate the domestic flights.
According to the CAAB guideline, all airlines have to keep at least 30 percent seats vacant on each flight to ensure social distancing.
A gap of a seat between two passengers shall maintain, if they are not from the same family.
It further instructed that the frontal or the last row of seats on each flight must remain vacant for carrying any passenger to be found suspected of contracting coronavirus.
All staffers of airlines will have to wear masks, gloves and disposable head caps while dealing with passengers at the check-in counters while cabin crew will wear N95 or equivalent protection facial masks, goggles, disposable rubber gloves, and change facial masks every four hours, said the guideline.
Crew members will avoid close contact with passengers and provide only the necessary in-flight services to the passengers and no food and drink will be served in flights with an airtime of less than one and half hours.
Passengers’ body temperature will be measured and they have to stand in queues in front of the check-in counters and in front of the boarding gates maintaining social distancing.
