BA Suspends Unprofitable London to Bangladesh Route

British Airways has ended direct flights from London to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, because, the airline said, the 34-year old route was no longer profitable. According to the airline's statement, flights, previously running 3 times per week have been suspended because they have not made "a profitable contribution to [the] business for some time."

British woman Usha Mistry, who lives in Dhaka and was among the 233 passengers on the last London-bound flight, told AFP she would miss the direct route.

"I travel home every couple of months to see my children. Now I'll have to change over in the Middle East," she said.

The International Air Transport Association said global passenger volumes were 10.1 lower in February this year than February last year.

Bangladesh property has never seen much interest from international investors because it is consistently named as having the biggest problems with corruption in the world by Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index.

Those brave enough to give it a try in the country benefit from a massive demand for affordable housing; Bangladesh has among the world's highest population density. Removal of the only direct flight from London is bad news for those people, and for the Bangladeshi economy as a whole.