Flight to UAE could not be operated today as the authorities of the Gulf country are yet to give their decision on the standard operating procedures (SOP) of Covid-19 test for outbound passengers at Dhaka airport.

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman confirmed the development at a press briefing at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka this noon.

Mafidur Rahman said Covid-19 tests, as per instructions of the UAE government, was scheduled to start from today at the airport. But testing could not begin today for relevant reasons, and passengers bound for UAE were not able to leave Dhaka today.

The CAAB chairman said, according to UAE's instructions, six organisations will have to send their SOPs to the Gulf country for verification.

"We sent the SOPs of the six to the UAE two weeks earlier but they are yet to provide confirmation," he said.

"If the six organisations -- that have labs at the airport for Covid-19 test -- are approved by this afternoon, flight operation can start from today. There are no special flights for now," added the chairman.