Biman fined for flying passengers sans Covid-19 certificates

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has been fined for flying passengers to Bangladesh without Covid-19 negative certificates.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) Executive Magistrate's Court fined the airlines Tk 30,000, confirmed Airport Executive Magistrate Ahmed Zamil to Dhaka Tribune on Saturday. 

He said a special flight of the airlines, carrying over 400 Bangladeshi expatriates, landed in Dhaka from Riyadh at 1.30pm on Saturday.

Except 10 passengers, all the other passengers had Covid-19 negative certificates and were sent home.

However, the 10 passengers had antigen test reports while four of them had a Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) card, said Ahmed Zamil.

Following Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh’s (CAAB) directions, the airport health authority allowed the BMET cardholders to go home. Meanwhile, the six other passengers were sent to institutional quarantine in Hajj Camp, he added.

Also read - Biman, 8 more airlines bring 544 sans Covid-19 certificates

Meanwhile, a passenger with a Covid-19 positive certificate arrived in a special flight of Air Asia, carrying 98 passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Dhaka, at midnight on Sunday.

According to airport immigrations, after landing and checking at Dhaka airport, the passenger was clearly identified as Covid-19 positive in the certificate. However, no one noticed the matter while boarding the passenger in Kuala Lumpur. 

The passenger was sent to Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital for undergoing another Covid-19 test while Air Asia was fined Tk100,000, said Ahmed Zamil.

According to the CAAB directions, any domestic or foreign airline is obliged to bring passengers to Bangladesh after making sure that the passenger has the Covid-19 negative certificate. 

On December 5, Biman, and 8 more airlines brought 544 passengers without Covid-19 negative certificates. 

On December 11, the Maldivian Airlines was fined Tk 236,000 for flying 118 passengers to Bangladesh without Covid-19 negative certificates.