The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh today called upon the government to form a regulatory board to stop illogical airfare set by airlines to different Middle Eastern destinations.

ATAB, a platform of around 3,500 travel agencies, also urged the government to fix special fares for migrant workers.

At a press conference at a Dhaka hotel, ATAB President Monsur Ahmed Kalam said a migrant worker now needs to spend over Tk 75,000 to go to Saudi Arabia while the fare was Tk 40,000 to Tk 45,000 in November.

"Migrant workers are facing a huge burden due to the irrational hike of airfare by the airlines. Many of them are losing jobs as they fail to reach their respective destinations on time," he said.

"We urge the government to fix a logical airfare for the Middle East-bound migrant workers as different airlines doubled the one-way fare causing trouble for the remittance earners," Monsur also said.

ATAB leaders today placed a four-point recommendation which includes increasing the number of flights of Middle East bound airlines, expedite the process of approval of giving additional slots of airlines by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, announce special fares by the government for migrant workers, and form regulatory board for stopping illogical fare hike by the airlines.