32 Saudi Arabia bound passengers fail to fly from Bangladesh

Thirty two passengers scheduled to return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday failed to get on board owing to their failure to produce Covid-19 negative certificates provided by government approved facilities.

The passengers were denied boarding passes for the Saudia Airlines flight which left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:55pm on Saturday, sources at the airport confirmed.

The government introduced Covid-19 testing facilities for Bangladeshis going abroad at Mohakhali DNCC Market in Dhaka.

However, some passengers claimed that they had not been notified that obtaining Covid-19 testing certificates from government hospitals was mandatory.

Nur Islam’s uncle Alamgir Hossain of Keraniganj said a Covid-19 negative certificate was provided by Ibn Sina Hospital in Dhanmondi and yet a boarding pass was not issued to the passenger.

Shahjahan, who came from Dhamrai with a Covid-19 certificate from Enam Medical Centre of Savar, was also stopped from flying.

His relatives said they had not been informed about the mandatory rule of getting a Covid-19 certificate from the government testing facility set up at Mohakhali and that was why this had happened. 

Saudia Airlines is yet to make any statement on the matter.

According to Saudi Arabian immigration rules, all passengers must show Covid-19 negative certificates in Saudi Arabia issued before 48 hours of arrival in the destination country.

The passengers who could not have been sent to the Saudia Airlines office at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel at Karwan Bazar. 

Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudia Airlines recently announced they would operate chartered flights to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within September 30 to take stranded Bangladeshi expatriates back to the kingdom. 

Both the countries’ flag carriers are scheduled to commence commercial flights in full swing from October 1.