Hundreds of passengers faced further disruption on Monday as airlines cancelled dozens more flights to and from Bangladesh amid escalating security tensions in the Middle East following US-Israel attack on Iran.
At Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, 39 additional flights were cancelled on Monday. That brings the total number of cancelled flights to 102 between the start of the conflict on Saturday and Monday afternoon.
In Chattogram, five Middle East-bound flights were cancelled at Shah Amanat International Airport on Monday morning. Six flights were cancelled there on Saturday and 14 on Sunday.
Several countries in the region have temporarily closed their airspace, leaving thousands of travellers in uncertainty. Many passengers said they were unable to obtain clear information from travel agencies despite repeated inquiries.
Countries including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar have temporarily closed their airspace following United States and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks.
However, since Sunday afternoon, flights from Dhaka to destinations other than Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai have gradually resumed.
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain Ragib Samad said many passengers arrive at the airport without accurate information about cancellations and face unnecessary difficulties.
He said travel agents were failing to communicate updates properly to customers.
Among Monday’s cancellations were four US-Bangla Airlines flights, four Biman Bangladesh Airlines services, five Emirates flights, eight Air Arabia flights, four Qatar Airways flights, two Kuwait Airways flights and four flydubai services.
US-Bangla Airlines General Manager Kamrul Islam told TIMES that some flights to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait remain operational, prompting many passengers to come to the airport in the hope that suspended services might resume.
“They arrive with the expectation that if any flight restarts, they may get a chance to travel,” he said.
