189 Bangladeshis Return from UAE on Special US-Bangla Flight

A special US-Bangla Airlines flight carrying 189 Bangladeshi nationals stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 7:07 am on Thursday (March 5).

The emergency operation was launched following flight suspensions caused by escalating conflict in the Middle East. Airport sources confirmed the arrival, noting that the initiative aimed to assist expatriates caught in the regional instability.

Earlier, US-Bangla Airlines General Manager (Public Relations) Md. Kamrul Islam stated the carrier organized the Dhaka-Chittagong-Abu Dhabi route as a humanitarian gesture. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft (Flight BS-349) departed Dhaka on Wednesday evening via Chittagong, returning from Abu Dhabi as Flight BS-350.

The Abu Dhabi Airport Authority granted special permissions to US-Bangla, Etihad, and other carriers to facilitate these evacuations. Notably, the mission also prioritized the return of 28 Biman Bangladesh Airlines crew members who had been stranded in the UAE since February 28. Priority was also given to Bangladeshi passengers with expired or nearing-expiry visas.