Special flight by Bangladesh Govt. for stranded Bangladeshis in the USA

Shamim Ahmad, Washington D.C. 5 May 2020: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Consulates General of Bangladesh in New York and Los Angeles, has taken initiative to arrange a special chartered flight of Qatar Airways to bring home stranded Bangladesh citizens from the USA possibly on 14 May or 15 May 2020. 

Earlier, the Bangladesh Embassy and the two Consulates General circulated a notice through their websites seeking information from the Bangladeshis who had been stranded in USA amid COVID-19 pandemic situation. After this, a large number of stranded Bangladeshi citizens provided their information by email to the Bangladesh Missions showing interest to return to Bangladesh by special charter flight at their own expenses, as all commercial flights to Bangladesh were suspended after the outbreak of COVID-19. They also requested the Bangladesh Government through the Bangladesh Missions to facilitate their return to homeland by special flight.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Missions in the USA are coordinating to arrange a chartered flight of Qatar Airways either from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) or New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport possibly on 14 May or 15 May, depending on the availability of a minimum required number of passengers to run the flight. It is estimated that the price of each economy class ticket for this flight would be approximately US$2,200.

 Under the intimation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Bangladeshi enterprise named Oryx Aviation Ltd., which is the General Sales Agent (GSA) in Bangladesh for Qatar Airways Cargo Flights, would handle the chartering and ticketing formalities with Qatar Airways for this special flight. 

Stranded Bangladeshi citizens in the USA willing to avail this special flight at their own expenses are advised to contact Oryx Aviation Ltd. by visiting its online Portal @ http://galaxyaviationbd.com/airticket/, register their names through this portal and purchase tickets to confirm seats in this flight by 08 May, 2020.

Following the registration and purchase of tickets, Oryx Aviation authority will get in touch individually with all confirmed passengers to notify them of further details about the flight. If you need further assistance or have any question regarding registration and ticketing, please contact Oryx Aviation Ltd. through e-mail: [email protected] or call over WhatsApp number: +8801713094664.

             The Embassy has forward to Oryx Aviation Ltd.  a list of all the stranded Bangladeshis, who have meanwhile contacted the Bangladesh Missions in the USA by email and requested to arrange their return by the special flight. However, the email communications with the Embassy do not automatically confirm the availability of the tickets. Since seats at the chartered flight are limited, passengers will be registered and issued with tickets by Oryx Aviation on a first-come-first-serve basis and subject to availability.

 Other important requirements to avail this special flight are:

·       All confirmed passengers, who are scattered in different US cities and states, shall make their own arrangements to travel to IAD or JFK Airport to catch the charter flight on its designated date and time of departure. Once the registration and ticketing formalities are completed, Qatar Airways will decide and inform the passengers about the departing airport for the special flight.

·       All passengers must present before boarding in the flight “COVID-19 negative certificate” obtained from any US hospital/doctor/medical professional within 72 (seventy-two) hours of the flight departure. Passengers must collect this certificate by themselves.

·       Upon arrival at the airport in Dhaka, all passengers shall have to go through mandatory medical screening. After screening, they would be sent either to “institutional quarantine centers” or “home quarantine” as per the health guidelines of the government of Bangladesh.

·       Tickets purchased for this chartered flight are non-cancelable, non-refundable. Refund of tickets by Oryx Aviation will be applicable only when the flight is cancelled due to non-availability of the minimum required number of passengers to operate the flight or for other reasons compelling cancellation of the flight.

·       Stranded passengers holding Bangladesh passports, and in cases like accompanying children of Bangladeshi parents holding foreign passports, would get priority for this charter flight. However, if the first category of the passengers does not fill up the flight, passengers of Bangladesh origin holding foreign passports would then be considered for this flight.

The stranded Bangladeshi citizens in USA willing to avail this charter flight under above mentioned terms are encouraged to visit the online portal of Oryx Aviation Ltd. @ http://galaxyaviationbd.com/airticket/, register their names and arrange payments to confirm their seats by 08 May, 2020. Following the registration and purchase of tickets, Oryx Aviation authority will get in touch individually with all confirmed passengers to notify them of further details about the flight.