Thirty-five Bangladeshi nationals were repatriated from European countries, arriving in Dhaka on Thursday morning aboard a special chartered flight, according to officials at the airport and immigration authorities. The group included 19 individuals returned from Italy, 10 from Greece, and six from Cyprus.

The flight was operated by Frontex, the European Union’s border and coast guard agency, the Italian embassy in Dhaka announced on social media. In its statement, the embassy reaffirmed its “zero tolerance” policy toward irregular migration and unauthorized stays within Europe, urging prospective migrants to avoid paying traffickers, brokers, or smugglers for travel without proper visas. The embassy further cautioned that those engaging in such irregular migration are subject to repatriation and potential bans from Schengen Area countries.

Upon arrival in Dhaka, the returnees received emergency assistance, counseling, and financial support through a collaboration between BRAC’s Migration Programme, the Civil Aviation Security, and the Expatriates’ Welfare Desk. Representatives from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry and the European Union were also present at the airport to oversee the process.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC’s Migration Programme and Youth Platform, confirmed that all returnees were supported under the Prottasha-2 project, a joint initiative funded by the EU and BRAC aimed at assisting returnees to reintegrate safely into their communities.

Bangladesh and the European Union have maintained standard operating procedures since 2017 to facilitate the orderly return of Bangladeshis residing without valid documentation or authorization in European countries. To date, approximately 5,000 Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated under this arrangement, with most coming from Cyprus, Italy, Romania, and France.