US-Bangla operates special flight as UAE authorities allow limited services amid regional tensions

Iran conflict: US-Bangla Airlines to operate two special flights to repatriate stranded citizens from UAE
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A first US-Bangla Airlines special flight has brought 378 Bangladeshis who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates amid the Iran conflict back home.

The passenger included 27 crew members of national flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla said in a statement on Thursday.

US-Bangla Airlines said the flight crew had been stranded in the UAE for five days since the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East on Feb 28.

The flight departed Dubai at 12:30am local time on Wednesday and landed at Shahjalal International Airport at 7:15am.

The airline said the flight crew were living in uncertainty in Dubai, with their families in Bangladesh experiencing extreme anxiety.

It said that, as a supportive company, the airline had brought the flight crew back to free their families from worry.

As part of its “humanitarian responsibility”, US-Bangla Airlines had announced that it would operate two special flights from Dhaka to Dubai, with the permission of the Dubai Airport Authority, to bring stranded Bangladeshis back to Bangladesh.

The first of these flights landed in Bangladesh on Thursday. The other flight departed from Dubai and is scheduled to land in Dhaka on Friday morning, according to the previous schedule.

Airbus A330-300 aircraft, with 436 seats each, are being used for the flight.

US-Bangla Airlines has also arranged a special Dubai–Dhaka flight, BS342, on March 4 to bring them back home.

The airline said priority will be given to Bangladeshi nationals whose visas have expired or are nearing expiration, ensuring timely repatriation for those facing uncertainty abroad.

Passengers seeking bookings or assistance have been advised to contact US-Bangla Airlines sales centers in Bangladesh or the UAE, or authorized travel agencies.

The airline’s dedicated hotline number, 13605, and mobile numbers, +880 1777 777800–806, are providing detailed information and customer support regarding this special arrangement.

M.Z.I. Dalton Zahir | from travellertimes