The turmoil in Bangladesh has caused a sharp rise in airfares for flights from Calcutta to Dhaka, with a considerable number of people seeking to return home. According to officials at the airport and tour operators, flights between these two locations are fully booked.

Tour operators said the average one-way fare between Calcutta and Dhaka for Sunday and Monday was showing more than ₹16,000 on Saturday evening. The average one-way fare on the route is ₹8,000, said tour operators and airline officials.

IndiGo is operating an Airbus A320 between Calcutta and Dhaka on Sunday. The aircraft has 180 seats. On Saturday evening, only one seat was left on the flight. It came at nearly ₹16,000, sources said.

On Monday, the airline will operate an Airbus A321 Neo, a 186-seater aircraft. “The flight is full. The last ticket sold at around ₹17,000,” said a source.

The US-Bangla flights are also going full. The airline now operates three flights a week.

“There is a rush among Bangladeshis in Calcutta to return home. Indians in Bangladesh also want to come back as soon as possible,” said an official of an airline.

Biman Bangladesh is operating one flight daily, which is also full at the moment, according to airport sources.

“Many Bangladeshis in India want to cut their stay short and push forward their tickets because of the turmoil. Many Indians in Bangladesh are coming back. The fares are likely to remain high for the next few days. Once the travel demand subsides, the fare will come down,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), eastern region.

Asibul Islam, 27, was among those who cut their trip short. Islam, who hails from Bandarban in Chittagong, now lives in Dhaka, where he studies business management. He came to Calcutta for medical reasons on December 11. His appointments at a south Calcutta hospital are done with.

“I was supposed to stay for another week because I had some work and also wanted to do some festive shopping for my family members. But my parents called on Wednesday and said they wanted me back as soon as possible,”
said Islam.

The same day, he booked an air ticket for ₹10,000. “I came on a ticket that cost ₹5,000,” said Islam, who suffers from a ligament problem in his right leg.

Islam was staying at a hotel on Marquis Street and was waiting for an app cab on Saturday afternoon to go to the airport when Metro met him. He has to take a train from Dhaka to his hometown. “The journey is scenic. But I saw videos of violent flare-ups along the same route. They are scary,” said Islam.

Ariful Islam, 33, a resident of Dhaka, was in Calcutta with his wife, also for medical reasons. They want to return as early as possible. “But two tickets will cost close to ₹40,000. It is way too much,” said Islam, who runs a travel agency himself. He bought two tickets on a bus that leaves Calcutta on Sunday morning. The tickets cost him ₹7,000.

“We want to return as soon as possible because we know of more than one friend who got stranded in India when the unrest first began in Bangladesh in August 2024,” said Asha, Ariful’s wife.

The couple lives in the Shonir Akhra neighbourhood in Dhaka. “In August 2024, the streets were burning. Blackouts would last more than 12 hours. There was a complete shutdown on the Internet, and we were confined to our homes, often hearing gunshots outside. I don’t know what to expect this time,” she said.

Souvik Mazumdar, 52, who landed in Calcutta on Saturday on a Biman Bangladesh flight, did not have to pay extra because the ticket was booked well in advance. Mazumdar works in the pharmaceutical sector and was in Calcutta on a scheduled work trip.

“It is a relief to be back home now when the situation in Bangladesh is so tense. I have been residing in Bangladesh for 23 years. For the past year, the country has been witnessing lawlessness. It is much safer to be home. I have come here for work, but I have to return to Bangladesh after a week. My family is worried,” he said.

Mazumdar also said that on Thursday night, while returning from his office, he saw a mob heading towards the Prothom Alo office.

“I saw a mob heading towards the Prothom Alo newspaper office. Later, I found out that it was set on fire,” he
said.