A total of 103 flights from Dhaka have been cancelled over the past five days amid security concerns following attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on airports and other installations in Saudi Arabia, including the capital Riyadh.
The cancellations have left 15,779 passengers affected, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
In a statement issued on Thursday, CAAB said the disruptions had affected passengers travelling on several airlines, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Saudia, Riyadh Air and US-Bangla Airlines.
Kawser Mahmud, assistant director of CAAB’s public relations department, said 42 of the cancelled flights were direct flights. Of these, 17 were operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 10 by US-Bangla Airlines, eight by Saudia and seven by Riyadh Air.
The remaining 61 were transit flights, including 22 operated by IndiGo, 14 by Emirates, eight by Qatar Airways, seven by SalamAir, six by flydubai, three by Air India and one by EgyptAir.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have continued attacks on Riyadh amid escalating regional conflict in the Middle East.
A missile attack by the Houthis on Riyadh Airport on Saturday night killed 12 people, including two Bangladeshis, and injured more than 300 others, according to information provided by
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authorities early Sunday. Several of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.
The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the attack.
Before the impact of the incident had subsided, another attack took place at King Fahd International Airport in Riyadh on Sunday afternoon, killing one person and injuring at least 11 others.
