After at least 1,000 migrants missed their flights to Saudi Arabia failing to book or pay for their mandatory quarantine in hotels, Bangladesh yesterday decided to help KSA-bound migrants with hotel bookings and subsidy.
The migrants had been in trouble after the Gulf country, the largest manpower market for Bangladesh, earlier this month said people travelling to the kingdom from Bangladesh would have to be in seven-day mandatory quarantine in hotels at their own cost.
Many workers struggled to manage the additional Tk 60,000-Tk 70,000 needed for their hotel stay. Some unable to book hotels themselves for various reasons, sought the help from airlines, who a few days ago said the migrants would have to book hotels themselves.
Bangladeshi migrants trying to go to Saudi Arabia have found themselves in more trouble as airlines are now saying that hotel bookings for the seven-day on-arrival institutional quarantine must be done by passengers. Officials of Saudi Arabian Airlines yesterday said they can no longer help migrant workers with hotel bookings. Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which is scheduled to
Book hotels through Saudia website for quarantine: Airline official to Saudi-bound passengers
Migrant workers intending to travel to Saudi Arabia gather in front of the Saudia office at the capital’s Hotel Sonargaon around noon yesterday to book hotel stays after reaching the gulf country. A recent travel advisory by the Kingdom made it mandatory for travellers to be in institutional quarantine at their own expense for seven days after arrival. Photo: Prabir Das
Star Digital Report
Star Digital Report
Tarik A Alowaidi, country manager of Saudi Airlines in Bangladesh, today asked all Saudi-bound Bangladeshi expatriate workers to book their hotels for quarantine stays through the airline s holiday website.
Flights to Middle East: Sky-high airfare adds to migrant workers’ woes
Airfare to different Middle Eastern countries has increased manifold in the last few months, putting an additional burden on migrant workers returning to their workplaces.
A year ago, a ticket to Saudi Arabia cost between Tk 20,000 and Tk 25,000 in most cases. But nowadays, a ticket to the same destination would cost Tk 90,000-95,000, recruiting association leaders said.
In some cases, expatriate workers end up paying Tk 1.10 lakh or more for a Biman or Saudi Arabian Airlines ticket, M Tipu Sultan, president of Recruiting Agency Oikkya Parishad, told The Daily Star yesterday.