British Airways will suspend its Dhaka-London passenger flights from next summer, a BA official said late on Friday.
"The decision to suspend flights between Dhaka and London has been a difficult one to make," said Amanda Amos, British Airways' area commercial manager for South Asia.
"However, the route is not making a profitable contribution to our business and we are unable to sustain it," Amos said in a statement sent to us.
After quarter of a century, there will be no passenger flights from London Heathrow to Dhaka after March 28 next year, the BA said, but cargo business will continue.
It has run commercial passenger flights between the two capitals since the 1980s.
"We will continue to offer a cargo operation, using connecting flights via the Middle East," the BA official said.
A top official in Dhaka said the authorities were aware that the BA was considering such a decision.
"During the last six months, the British Airways has been informally telling us about the possible suspension of its services because of poor condition of our airport taxiway," chief adviser's special assistant Mahbub Jamil told us.
But the BA statement did not refer to the runway conditions.
Jamil, who oversees the ministry of civil aviation in absence of a cabinet minister, said the government had already signed a contract with Denmark for the rehabilitation of the taxiway.
"I hope they would not wind up their business (here)," Jamil said on Friday evening.
The British Airways operates three direct flights on Dhaka-London-Dhaka route in a week.
"Customers booked to travel with British Airways from Dhaka after March 28, 2009 will be contacted by the airline so that alternative arrangements can be made," the BA statement said.
Subject: British Airways stops Dhaka flights next year............ 
Sat Nov 08, 2008 12:07 pm
