& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Air travel caught in economic whirlwind

Sohel Parvez
The global economic downturn hurts corporate and leisure travels by air from Bangladesh, forcing airlines to make promotional offers and ticket price cuts, airline officials and travel agents said yesterday.
"Travels for business and leisure are both slowing. The global economic crisis is eating up a bulk of the segment," a senior executive of Emirates, one of the leading carriers operating from Bangladesh, told The Daily Star.
The airlines face a drop in travel at a time when demand for migrant workers slows, as the financial meltdown dries up businesses in the Gulf and Southeast Asian region, the main markets for Bangladeshi workers. The migrant worker voyage had kept the local industry vibrant.
Hundreds of migrant workers arc on the return, as they face layoffs and long leaves. The overseas employment situation deteriorated further after Malaysia cancelled 55,000 workers' visas, early this month.
"Labour traffic was high last year. But it is now declining. If recruitment increases, the market will recover," said the Emirates official.
I Ie said Emirates is yet to experience a decline in traffic, as it offers a lot of onward connections worldwide from its hub in Dubai.
The official however said business travel dropped by 20-25 percent since early this year, compared to the previous year.
"We expect that business travel would perk up after the political government came to power. But the global crisis has dampened that possibility," he said.
Travel agents said many multinational companies and local businessmen have shelved their travel plans. Some are conducting their important meetings through video conferencing, instead of travelling, they added.
"The crisis has cast a negative impact on almost all sectors. It appears that all are cautious,” said K Ashraful Kabir, country manager of Etihad Airways.
Hamidur Rahman, sales manager of International I ravel Corporation Ltd, said corporate travel has slumped 30 percent since January.
Holidaymakers have also decided against travel, as many higher middle-income groups remain insecure, officials said.
The downfall in air travel comes after the global airline industry suffered a loss of up to $8 billion in 2008, hurt by the previous surge in oil prices.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recently predicted the industry would suffer a 3 percent drop in traffic in 2009, as recession dries up businesses and consumers' travel budgets.
Last year, the surge in fuel surcharge affected leisure travel demands from Bangladesh. As fuel prices started descending, airlines cut fares to recoup the market.
The Emirates official said the airline cut air-fare by 10-20 percent in the last couple of months. “We are now considering to offer various holiday packages to lure travellers,” he said.
Other carriers, like Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Thai Airways, have also slashed ticket prices and undertaken promotional activities.
“We have no way but to slash ticket prices and make promotional offers to woo travellers,” an official of Malaysia Airlines said.
The carrier, along with slashing it normal ticket price, has also made promotion offers for both business and economy class, in the wake of falling traffic. Budget carriers -- AirAsia on the Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur route -- are also snatching a portion of the passengers away from the carrier. sohel@thedailstar.net