Blockade brings blessings to private airlines

Shah Alam Nur | Published: February 04, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Private airlines are making windfalls as businessmen and corporate professionals avoid roads and railways for domestic travel, fearing the violence of deadly blockade, officials said.Â Â
The officials said 95 per cent tickets of most of the carriers have already been sold out after wealthier travelers' preference for air travel.
At present, United Airways (BD) Limited, Regent Airways, Novo Air and US-Bangla Airlines are operating roughly 58 flights within the country per day.
An official at Novo-Air told the FE that daily ticket sale of the four companies should be no less than 2,600.
He said daily sales of tickets are nearly Tk 13 million of the four companies.
"Due to countrywide blockade a large number of homebound people, including high-profile politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and corporate officials are now preferring travel by air", Mohammad Kamrul Islam, assistant general manager of United Airways, told the FE.
He said in recent times they are busy carrying homebound passengers on various domestic destinations including Dhaka, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Jessore, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Saidpur.
He said wealthy people are not interested in driving their vehicles on the highway for countrywide blockade and are turning to the airways.
He said the tickets of flights to several routes have already been booked or sold out for the next 10 days as people don't get vehicles for travel.
An official of US-Bangla Airlines said due to the countrywide blockade, people are eschewing road transport, which involves high risks during blockade.
He said better services to passengers are attracting deep-pocketed customers, resulting in the business boom of private carriers.
He said they always give priority to timely and comfortable journey, which is the main cause of significant growth of business in recent times.
Kazi Wahidul Alam, an aviation analyst, said the shortage of ground transport is forcing the wealthy segment of the society to move across the country by air.
That has boosted demands for air tickets in several local destinations, he added.
He said the private airliners are providing comfortable journey to air passengers, which in turn has led to strong sales.
An estimated 0.6 million passengers travel by air annually within the country, making air travel a lucrative business for local players. The private carriers have picked up the slack after the withdrawal of national flag carrier Biman from the domestic route.
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