Jazeera halting Ctg flights; fare hike on ME routes feared
The Kuwaiti airline, which launched its flights on the route in January 2022 and subsequently raised weekly flights from three to five to accommodate the surging passenger demand, has announced the suspension of services from 1 January 2024
Jazeera Airways, a low-cost carrier that has rapidly gained popularity among Bangladeshi expatriates and Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, is set to halt its flights on Chattogram-Kuwait-Jeddah route by the end of this year, citing aircraft crisis.
Aviation industry insiders say this development will cause hardship for Middle East-bound passengers from Chattogram and its surrounding regions. They fear it may also lead to an increase in airfares for other airlines.
The Kuwaiti airline, which launched its flights on the route in January 2022 and subsequently raised weekly flights from three to five to accommodate the surging passenger demand, has announced the suspension of services from 1 January 2024.
The last flight from Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport is scheduled to depart on 31 December, Shamim ul Islam Joy, Jazeera Airways' commercial manager in Bangladesh, told The Business Standard yesterday.
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"However, while flights from Chattogram are being temporarily stopped, services to Dhaka airport will continue as per the regular schedule. Presently, the airline is operating nine flights a week on the Dhaka-Kuwait route," he added.
Shamim said, "The operation of Chattogram route flights has been suspended for the time being. It will resume soon."
According to data from Jazeera Airways, the airline was transporting passengers on this route using Airbus A320neo aircraft, which have a passenger capacity of 174. Passengers are allowed to carry up to 30kg of goods on this airline.
Initially, it operated three flights a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from Shah Amanat International Airport. Later, it increased flights by two more days a week when passenger demand increased. However, in recent times, the airline has been operating three flights a week.
According to the schedule, the airline used to land at Chattogram airport with passengers from Kuwait International Airport at 8:45am. An hour later, at 9:45am, the flight would depart from Chattogram for Kuwait and then to Jeddah.
In addition to passengers bound for Kuwait, this airline has been popular among Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. This is because, apart from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, there was no other airline offering direct flights from Chattogram to Jeddah.
Mohammad Shah Alam, chairman of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh's (HAAB) Chattogram Zone, told TBS that Jazeera Airlines has been in great demand since its launch.
"Umrah and Hajj passengers felt comfortable on this airline. Now other airlines will probably increase fares. We hope the airline will restart its operations soon," he added.
Most of Jazeera Airways' passengers from Chattogram are bound for Jeddah and the Middle East, who can fly from Kuwait airport to their various Middle Eastern destinations, including Dubai, Dammam, Jeddah, Doha, and Muscat, through connecting flights.
Apart from Jazeera Airways, Oman Airlines, Fly Dubai, and Air Arabia operate regular flights from Chattogram to the Middle East.
It takes two to two and a half hours longer to fly from Chattogram to Middle Eastern destinations via Kuwait on Jazeera Airways compared to other airlines. While the airfare is almost the same as that of other airlines, the longer travel time and distance result in higher passenger transportation costs. This, among other reasons, might be a factor for the decision to suspend the flights, say industry people.
After the launch of Jazeera, the fare for return tickets was initially more than Tk80,000. However, it has now come down to Tk60,000. There are more passengers available in Jeddah than in Kuwait. In this case, an official associated with the airline said fuel consumption and other expenses cannot be covered by the current fare, contributing to the decision to suspend the flights.
Chattogram Aviation Club President Asif Chowdhury stated, "Jazeera Airlines gained popularity and trust among passengers in a short period of time. Considering the demand for passengers in this region, we expect the airline to restart passenger service very soon."
Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport Director Group Captain Taslim Ahmed told TBS, "We have not yet received any written information from the company regarding the halting of flight operations."
