Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh today said they are planning to suspend regular flight operations on international routes from Dhaka amid countrywide full lockdown, slated to begin from April 14, to curb spread of Covid-19.

Talking to The Daily Star, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, however, said the final decision will depend on the government's directives on lockdown.

Mafidur said during the strict nationwide lockdown, air passengers will find it very hard to reach the Dhaka airport as transport services will remain suspended.

"Therefore, it would not be possible for the air passengers to reach the airport to catch their respective flights," he said.

Earlier, CAAB suspended passenger flight operations on all domestic routes following the week-long countrywide restrictions from April 5.

Today, however, the CAAB chief said it was up to the government to decide whether domestic flights would continue for two days between the end of the first phase of the lockdown and the next phase of strict lockdown.

"We will be able to know all this today (after the Cabinet's special meeting)," Mafidur said.

When the coronavirus infection started in the country in March last year, all flights were suspended from Dhaka.

Later, when the situation came under control, domestic flights were resumed from July. Then the international flights were started gradually.

As transmission increased in the second phase, CAAB cut off air communication with all European countries except the United Kingdom from April 3. In addition to this, flights from Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey and Uruguay are suspended.