A total of 245 flights have been cancelled from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka over the past seven days due to the ongoing security crisis in the Middle East.
The closure of airspaces in several Middle Eastern countries has significantly disrupted international flight schedules, especially those departing from Bangladesh.
On 28 February, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan all closed their airspaces, triggering widespread flight cancellations. According to the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority, a total of 245 flights have been cancelled since the airspace restrictions took effect.
The cancellations have primarily affected flights to the Middle East, with the largest number occurring between 28 February and 5 March.
On 28 February, 23 flights were cancelled, followed by 40 cancellations on 1 March. The situation escalated on March 2, when 46 flights were grounded, and another 39 were cancelled on 3 March. On 4 March, 28 flights were cancelled, and 36 more flights were affected on 5 March.
As of Friday, an additional 33 flights were cancelled. Among the affected airlines are Kuwait Airways, with four cancelled flights, and Jazeera Airways (Kuwait), also seeing four cancellations.
Air Arabia, based in Sharjah (UAE), had six flights cancelled, while Qatar Airways saw four flights grounded. FlyDubai, another UAE-based airline, had two flights cancelled, along with US-Bangla Airlines, which saw five cancellations. Gulf Air (Bahrain) and Biman Bangladesh Airlines each had two flights affected, and Emirates Airlines grounded four flights.
The ongoing disruptions have caused widespread inconvenience for travellers, and authorities are advising passengers to stay updated on the status of their flights.
Travellers are urged to contact their airlines for re-booking options and further details on how the security situation may continue to affect flight schedules.
