Online travel agency Flight Expert has collapsed, leaving a large number of customers, agents, and influencers unpaid despite advance payments – amid allegations that its founder and CEO, Salman Bin Rashid Sayeem, fled to Canada with over Tk 100 crore in liabilities.
The sudden shutdown came to light on Saturday morning when the company’s official website went offline, prompting a flood of complaints on social media. Customers reported that they had made full payments but never received tickets, while others said confirmed bookings were cancelled without refunds. Several agents confirmed they could no longer contact Flight Expert’s sales or management teams.
Social media users began accusing the CEO of fleeing abroad with customer and company funds. A person close to Sayeem confirmed to Times of Bangladesh that he had left the country for Canada as the company’s financial crisis deepened.
A leaked WhatsApp message from the company’s internal group, written by Sayeem himself and verified by Times of Bangladesh, has been circulating among former employees. In it, he accuses three shareholders – Saeed, Hossen, and Sakyb – of betrayal and embezzlement. “They planned everything carefully,” he wrote. “During last Thursday’s meeting, they put all the blame on me. I wasn’t even given a chance to respond.”
He further alleged that the trio withdrew “Tk 3 crore” on the morning of the collapse and kept the money for themselves. “I never intended to walk away like this,” Sayeem added, citing intense pressure and scapegoating as his reasons for leaving.
The collapse has also impacted travel influencers, many of whom had partnered with Flight Expert under paid sponsorships. While some said they received partial payments, others remain unpaid despite promoting the platform just days before the shutdown.
The leaked message has fuelled public outrage and prompted calls for an official investigation, although authorities have not yet commented.
Flight Expert, a concern of Makkah Group—known for its offline travel agency business—received around Tk 5 crore in investment in 2021 from Evaly, a Ponzi-style e-commerce company that collapsed in 2022, leaving behind hundreds of crores in unpaid customer advances.
