Any flight to Saudi will do

Migrants run between airline offices and airport to get a flight before their visa, work-joining deadlines expire

Ridoy Ahmed was supposed to travel to Dammam for work, but with flights disrupted, he still does not know when he will be able to leave. His visa expires on October 17.

When The Daily Star met him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday, he was heading towards the Biman Bangladesh Airlines office, hoping to find out what he should do next.

Some of the others The Daily Star spoke to are being placed in alternative flights to Jeddah or Medinah as airlines, recruiting agencies and government authorities try to keep migrant workers from losing valid travel windows and potentially their jobs, amid continued disruptions at two of Saudi Arabia’s busiest airports.

All of Biman’s Dhaka-Dammam and Dhaka-Riyadh flights would remain suspended until October 17. The airline said passengers needing to travel urgently could use Jeddah or Madinah instead and advised them to contact its sales centres for ticketing and travel arrangements.

According to the latest Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) figures, 62 flights have so far been affected by restricted operations at Saudi airports, involving 9,674 passengers. Many of them are migrant workers.

Mohammad Nasir, whose visa expires on October 20, was supposed to travel with US-Bangla Airlines. The carrier has suspended its Riyadh flights until October 21.

Nasir said he went to the airline’s counter at the airport and was told to remain prepared so that he could be accommodated on another Saudi-bound flight, subject to seat availability.

Mohammad Ruhul Amin was originally scheduled to travel to Riyadh on October 11. His recruiting agency later arranged a ticket for Jeddah, and he was expected to fly last night.

Workers affected by earlier cancellations are also being rerouted.

Mohammad Rezaul Karim said his agency had asked him to remain in Dhaka for another couple of days while it searched for a seat on another Saudi-bound flight.

Mohammad Shahin, whose visa remains valid for several months, has sought another month’s leave and said he would consider travelling via Jeddah or Madinah if necessary.

Recruiting agencies say such rerouting has become a race against time.

“We are trying to find alternative flights to send our workers to protect them and their visas. We are also exploring other airports that are safe and operational,” said Belayet of MRJ Global.

Once a visa expires, it becomes very difficult to renew, said representatives of Udayan Overseas Employment Service and GM Overseas, while urging workers to contact agencies well before expiry.

The government says it is trying to address the problem through diplomatic channels.

Workers whose travel has been disrupted, including those on leave and those facing visa expiry, were a concern for the government, Nurul Haque Nur, state minister for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment, told The Daily Star.

Bangladesh had faced similar difficulties when the Middle East conflict escalated in February, and Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries had provided opportunities and flexibility at the time.

The government is now trying to resolve the latest cases through diplomatic discussions, he said.

The government is closely monitoring the situation of Bangladeshi migrant workers affected by the conflict, and ensuring their safety and providing consular assistance remain the immediate priority, said Humaiun Kobir, the state minister for foreign affairs.

“Our diplomatic efforts are focused on protecting the employment rights of Bangladeshi workers and maintaining engagement with host countries to minimise disruptions to their livelihoods,” he told The Daily Star.

The foreign ministry was also strengthening coordination with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and other agencies.

For workers who may be forced to return, rehabilitation and reintegration would become important, he said, adding that the government wanted returnees to have access to appropriate support and livelihood opportunities.

In a directive dated October 12, CAAB told airlines operating direct and transit flights to Saudi Arabia to notify affected passengers through SMS, phone calls, email and other channels about cancellations and schedule changes, and provide information on rebooking and refunds.

Airlines were also told to guide passengers facing visa or immigration problems, assist stranded travellers and appoint focal points to coordinate with airport authorities.

Biman did not respond to The Daily Star’s queries on whether affected passengers are being directly notified of cancellations or rescheduling through SMS or other channels.

The disruption has also brought Bangladesh’s reliance on Middle Eastern labour markets into focus.

Nur said the government is mapping alternative markets in Asia-Pacific and Europe and strengthening skills training, while acknowledging that prolonged disruption in the Middle East could slow its overseas employment plans.

Bangladesh should not respond simply by looking for new destinations for low-skilled manpower, said Hossain Zillur Rahman, chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre.

“Instead of looking for new markets for unskilled labour, we should look at developing targeted markets for targeted professional manpower export.”

Bangladesh should prepare not only for the immediate three to six months but also for the medium-term consequences over the next one to two years, he added.

But for Ridoy and Nasir, the concerns are immediate: whether a seat can be found before their visas run out.