Maldivian cancels Dhaka flight amid Bangladesh political unrest

Maldivian, the flagship carrier of the Maldives, on Tuesday announced the cancellation of flights to Dhaka.

"Due to the emerging situation in Bangladesh, we are not able to operate and have cancelled our flights to and from Dhaka on August 6, 2024," Maldivian said on X.

Maldivian, in a message on X, said that the airline is "closely monitoring the situation" and remains committed to providing support to the passengers.

"The safety of our passengers and crew remains our most important priority," the airline added in its social media post.

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled the country on Monday after protesters stormed her official residence in Ganabhaban after weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations in the country.

At least 91 people were killed and 100 more injured on Sunday in clashes between police and protesters demanding the scrapping of quotas for government jobs and the resignation of Prime Minister Hasina.

The protests initially began after the Bangladesh High Court decided to reinstate the quota system for government jobs, which allocated a significant portion of these jobs to the family members of freedom fighters.

The Bangladesh Supreme Court, however, recently scrapped the quota system, holding that 93 percent of government jobs will be allocated based on merits and only 5 percent are fixed for families of freedom fighters.

Despite the Bangladesh top court's decision, students led demonstrations across the country that resulted in violent face-offs between armed security forces and protesters, with more than 100 people killed so far.

Earlier, the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel advisory cautioning Maldivians from traveling to the South Asian neighbor and added that all 119 Maldivian citizens, students included, currently living in the country were in good health while the Maldives High Commission in the country maintained regular contact with them.