189 Bangladeshis Stranded in Dubai Return Home via Special Flight

A special flight carrying 189 Bangladeshi nationals, who were stranded in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, due to flight suspensions amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, arrived in Dhaka on Thursday morning.

The US-Bangla Airlines special flight landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 7:00 AM on March 5. Airport sources have confirmed the arrival.

Earlier, Md. Kamrul Islam, General Manager (Public Relations) of US-Bangla Airlines, stated in a press release that the airline took this special initiative as a humanitarian gesture to support expatriate Bangladeshis during the current Middle East crisis.

To facilitate the return of those stranded in the UAE, the carrier operated a special flight on the Dhaka–Chattogram–Abu Dhabi–Dhaka route.

According to the schedule, the first flight departed Dhaka at 6:35 PM on Wednesday (March 4), transiting through Chattogram at 8:20 PM before heading to Abu Dhabi.

The return leg departed Abu Dhabi at 1:00 AM local time (March 5) bound for Dhaka. The mission was executed using a 189-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with flight numbers BS-349 (outbound) and BS-350 (inbound).

Mr. Islam further noted that Abu Dhabi airport authorities granted special flight permits to a few airlines, including US-Bangla and Etihad, considering the gravity of the situation.

Notably, 28 flight crew members from the national carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, had been stranded in the UAE since February 28 due to the conflict. US-Bangla coordinated their repatriation via flight BS-342 on March 4.

Priority for travel was also given to Bangladeshi passengers whose visas had already expired or were nearing expiration.