Airfare to Malaysia surges fivefold

Ticket prices for Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur flights have reached exorbitant levels with Bangladeshi migrant workers scrambling to reach Malaysia by May 31.

The prices have gone up to an all-time high -- Tk 1 lakh -- due to a high demand.

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Hiring begins with bribery

The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) blamed mismanagement and a lack of coordination among the respective ministries and departments, especially the expatriates' welfare ministry, for this situation.

"It's the expatriates' welfare ministry's responsibility to know the number of workers and the demand for air tickets … It just sat idle."

— Abdus Salam Aref, president of Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh

Usually, the air ticket prices for this popular route, on which Biman, US-Bangla, Batik Air and Malaysia Airlines operate direct flights, range between Tk 20,000 and 25,000.

Officials of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) said the Malaysian labour market reopened for Bangladesh in July 2022 after a four-year-long closure. Since then, more than 4.50 lakh Bangladeshi workers have gone to the country.

Several international organisations had raised concerns regarding irregularities in sending workers. They shed light on how the workers were not being given the jobs promised, and also on other forms of exploitation. This resulted in Malaysia closing the labour market again. 

However, an already-approved batch of workers were given the deadline of May 31 to enter the country, driving up the demand for the tickets, the BAIRA officials said. 

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier, has been operating four special flights for the convenience of the Bangladeshi migrant workers. It also operates one daily regular flight on this route.

US-Bangla, on the other hand, operates two daily regular flights from Dhaka to KL.

Furthermore, allegations of bribery during ticket purchase have also contributed to the almost fivefold price increase.

ATAB President Abdus Salam Aref said around 45,000 to 50,000 Bangladeshi workers will have to reach Malaysia by May 31.

"But the fact is that nobody, including the expatriates' welfare ministry and civil aviation ministry, was aware of this. If they had taken measures beforehand, other different airlines could have moved to operate extra flights to meet the additional demand."

Tickets sold for Tk 25,000-30,000 even in the middle of this month, he told this newspaper, adding that when many people rushed to buy tickets together, the airlines grabbed the opportunity and hiked the prices.

"It's the expatriates' welfare ministry's responsibility to know the number of workers and the demand for air tickets … It just sat idle."

The ATAB chief further said that US-Bangla was the airlines that charged over TK 1 lakh for tickets through their four online travel agencies.

Kamrul Islam, public relations manager at US-Bangla, said the demand for tickets on this route is very high compared to the availability of seats, and this has impacted the ticket price. 

Speaking to The Daily Star, Shafiul Azim, managing director and CEO of Biman, said the expatriates' welfare ministry should have written or visited KL to request that the deadline for the workers to reach Malaysia be extended for several days.

"The ministry didn't tell us anything about the increasing number of migrant workers. We somehow figured it and contacted the Malaysian authorities about operating four special flights on this route.

"We're trying to get permission for three more special flights."

Azim said the ticket price for special flights would be high as the return flights are fully empty.

Md Salahuddin, marketing director at Biman, said, "Airfare on the special flight starts from Tk 69,000 and goes up to Tk 72,000 … We are not selling tickets at Tk 1 lakh."

However, ATAB President Salam said, "The Biman price range does not make a difference for the workers," adding that the cost still reaches around Tk 1 lakh when the tickets are purchased through the agents.

This correspondent made repeated attempts to contact the expatriates' welfare ministry's Secretary Ruhul Amin for comments but did not get any response.