KOLKATA: At least two daily flights between Kolkata and Dhaka and one between Kolkata and Chittagong have been cancelled by airlines operating between the two countries as passenger count continues to nosedive in the wake of continued unrest in Bangladesh, attacks on minorities and curbs on travel due to Indian visa restrictions.
Bangladesh’s flag bearer, Biman Bangladesh, has cut operations between Kolkata and Dhaka from twice daily to a single flight a day. The country’s private carrier, US-Bangla Airlines, has reduced the frequency to Dhaka from twice daily to once and has discontinued the flight to Chittagong.
Indian carrier IndiGo still continues to operate its twice-daily schedule, but sources said the airline was closely following the situation in Dhaka. The dip in passenger loads over the past few months, which has further accentuated in recent days, was a cause for concern, they said.
The number of flights from Kolkata to Dhaka/Chittagong has dipped from 125 in Sept to 97 in Nov. Consequently, the count of departing passengers has reduced from 15,479 in Sept to 12,747 in Nov. The number of arrivals to Kolkata from Bangladesh has dipped from 114 in Sept to 96 in Nov, resulting in a drop in passenger count from 12,540 in Sept to 10,121 now.
No. of B’desh-Kol flights down by half since July
Bangladeshi carriers have been the worst-hit due to the crisis in the country. Biman Bangladesh flights from Kolkata are down from 59 in July to 28 in Nov while US-Bangla Airlines has fared worse with flight departures down from 84 in July to 24 now.
In contrast, IndiGo flight departures are down from 62 in July to 45 in Nov, while arrivals during this period are down from 64 in July to 44 now.
While Bangladeshis who depend on Kolkata for both commerce and healthcare are majorly impacted, a section of the economy in Kolkata, particularly hotels, restaurants and hospitals that serve Bangladeshis, have been dealt a body blow. Hotel occupancy in the Marquis Street-Sudder Street belt is down to 20% while shops and restaurants in and around New Market have witnessed a 65%-70% slide in sales.
“Tourism, both conventional and local, as well as business, are impacted by the ongoing turmoil there. For most middle-class Bangladeshis, India is a foreign country within reach for medical as well as religious tourism where affordability, food and language are not a barrier. Unless the situation gets resolved, everyone will feel the pinch,” said Travel Agents’ Association of India chairman (East) Anjani Dhanuka.