Passengers, travel agents stranded as Flight Expert ceases operations

Flight Expert, an online travel agency, has abruptly ceased operations after its managing director and CEO allegedly fled the country, sparking widespread concern among passengers and travel agents who are now scrambling to recover money paid for bookings. 

The company's closure on Saturday prompted a legal case and the arrest of three senior officials.

Social media has been inundated with complaints since Saturday from individuals and businesses claiming they were defrauded by the company, which specialised in flight ticket bookings. Many customers said they had paid in advance for tickets that may now be at risk.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested three top officials of Flight Expert after travel agent Bikash Sarker filed a fraud case with the Motijheel police station on Saturday night. 

The case accuses five individuals: Flight Expert CEO Salman Bin Rashid Shah Sayeem, his father MA Rashid Shah Shamrat, chairman of Makkah Group, and the three arrested executives – head of finance Sakib Hossain, chief commercial officer Sayeed Ahmed, and chief operating officer AKM Shahadat Hossain.

Hussain Md Farabi, assistant commissioner of Motijheel zone, told TBS that the police are trying to arrest the other accused.
Following a hearing yesterday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Minhazur Rahman sent the three arrestees to jail after rejecting their bail petitions.

According to the case statement, the accused embezzled Tk4.79 crore from 17 travel agents, while preliminary allegations suggest the total misappropriation could reach Tk5,000-6,000 crore. Flight Expert abruptly ceased operations on 2 August, leaving thousands of customers and partner agencies stranded, it mentioned.

TBS tried to talk over phone to Flight Expert CEO Salman, and his father Rashid Shah, but they did not respond.

Became key player after establishment

Flight Expert launched its operations in Bangladesh in March 2017 with a grand inauguration event. Since then, it rapidly established itself as a key player in the country's online travel and ticketing industry. 

The company used to offer a range of services, including domestic and international flight bookings, hotel reservations, tour packages, and visa processing.

Evaly, an e-commerce platform that shut down following allegations of irregularities and fraud, acquired Flight Expert on 29 May 2021, according to media reports.

However, Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (Atab) President Abdus Salam Aref told TBS that they are not aware of Evaly's involvement with Flight Expert.

"We've been receiving a barrage of complaints from travel agents since yesterday (Saturday) afternoon. Several of our members have been contacted by recruiting agencies saying they can no longer reach Flight Expert," he said.

Aref confirmed that Flight Expert had been operating with a bank guarantee of Tk50 crore, although the specific bank involved has yet to be identified. He said the company failed to make a scheduled payment on 31 July 2025.

"Flight Expert dealt heavily in both B2C and B2B ticketing," he said. "This means not only consumers who paid in advance are now at risk, but also third-party agencies that provided them with funds to secure bookings."

According to Aref, the company had also been purchasing tickets from other agencies and reselling them through platforms such as Haji Air, Suma Travel, and Fly Far. "Several affected agencies are drafting formal complaints, which we plan to submit to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism by tomorrow (Monday)," he said.

Industry and public reaction

Passengers have expressed anxiety about their flight tickets, with one user, Jamil Hasnaine Tamim, writing on a popular travel group: "I have some tickets booked with China Southern from Flight Expert for the 4th, 5th, and 20th of this month. Will these be a problem?" 

Another user, Mohammad Moazmmal Huq, similarly asked about a ticket issued for 10 August, wondering if there would be any issues despite it being marked as "Ticketed" online.

A number of social media users drew parallels to previous scams, with one user recalling the collapse of "Haltrip" in 2018.
In a statement, Air Astra confirmed that passengers with tickets already issued by Flight Expert would be able to fly as scheduled, but cautioned that no refunds, reissues, or other changes would be possible.

Call for oversight

Aref also raised concerns about the wider online travel industry, noting that while Flight Expert had a legal licence, many online travel agencies are engaging in "unsustainable price wars" by selling tickets below market rates.

He alleged that their business model is often to "boost sales volume rapidly, then disappear." Aref called for the government to enhance its oversight of licensing practices and finalise a draft guideline for online travel agencies, which he believes would bring much-needed discipline to the sector.

Meanwhile, Atab last night issued a statement warning against online travel agencies that lure customers and agents with low-cost tickets and high commissions by sharing portal IDs. 

The association highlighted that similar incidents occurred in the past, with companies such as Haltrip, 24tkt.com, and Lets Fly disappearing with large sums of money after accumulating significant sales and deposits. 

Atab warned that more such agencies could vanish if the practice of sharing portal IDs and offering excessive discounts is not stopped.

The association also called on the civil aviation and tourism ministry to finalise a long-pending guideline for travel agencies, stating that its swift implementation is crucial.

In response to the Flight Expert incident, Atab's executive council held an emergency meeting yesterday. During the meeting, it was decided that a show-cause notice would be issued to Flight Expert, and measures would be taken to revoke its membership in accordance with the Atab constitution. 

The association also resolved to request that the relevant ministry take urgent action to suspend refunds for tickets issued by Flight Expert in order to minimise financial losses for both passengers and travel agents.