Rajshahi-1 lawmaker Mujibur Rahman raised concerns in Bangladesh’s national parliament over domestic airfares reportedly doubling or more within a single day. During the second day of the third parliamentary session on Sunday, August 30, he asked whether steps would be taken to keep fares at a tolerable level. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram presided over the sitting.

Rahman said passengers may see a fare of Tk6,000 in the morning rise to Tk12,000 by the afternoon, calling such increases abnormal and unbearable. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat responded that the claim required verification. He said a Dhaka-Chattogram return ticket had not cost Tk12,000 and stated that its set price was Tk6,400.

The minister said taxes, including about 15 percent payable to the government, were considered in setting the fare at Tk6,300. He said measures had been taken to stop black marketing of tickets near departure times. Millat pledged direct oversight, saying passengers should receive tickets at the determined price and that the lawmaker would not need to pay above Tk6,400.