Post August 5 unrest in Bangladesh, which saw the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government, the travellers to India from the country has declined. Many Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi-bound flights are being operated at half capacity, said reports.
Bangladeshi media reports cite India's restricted visa issuance as the main cause of the situation. India has only resumed issuing visas on a limited basis, mainly for medical and educational purposes, according to Daily Star. The report added that many are reluctant to visit India "fearing harassment or detention at the airport."
Though India has not formally made any announcements regarding visa restrictions for Bangladeshi citizens, the Indian visa application centres in Bangladesh’s major cities including Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna, are only offering limited appointment slots for Bangladeshi nationals.
However, official sources have denied reports that India has imposed a visa ban on six Bangladeshi student leaders for whipping up "anti-India" sentiments.
Flights to Kolkata, which always took off full for years, are reportedly conducting services at less than half capacity. They are priced between
Tk 12,500 (Rs 8,750) and Tk 17,000 (Rs 11,900) are operating with very few passengers and struggle to cover operational costs.
In one case, a private airline flew to Kolkata with just 12 passengers. Flights between Bangladesh and India are operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines and Novoair. Indigo too runs flights to Dhaka from Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai.
While Biman Bangladesh Airlines had to reduce its weekly flights to Kolkata to seven from 14, Indigo too restricted its flights to Chennai and Delhi. Biman representatives told the Daily Star that they are only managing to fill 40-48 per cent of seats on these routes, though return flights from India have slightly higher passenger numbers.
The US-Bangla Airlines has also reduced its flight schedules. It used to operate 21 flights a week from Dhaka and Chattogram to Kolkata but is now only running six. Weekly flights to Chennai have also been cut to five from 11. The officials say the drop in numbers is due to visa complications.
