A total of 458 flights from the airports in Dhaka and Chattogram have been cancelled due to the prevailing security situation in the Middle East.
The cancellations, occurring between 28 February and Tuesday, were prompted by the closure of airspace in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan following the conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Sources at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) confirmed on Tuesday that several international flights were cancelled consecutively after the airspace closures.
According to provided data, the cancellations include 23 flights on 28 February, 40 on 1 March, 46 on 2 March, 39 on 3 March, 28 on 4 March, 36 on 5 March, 34 on 6 March, 28 on 7 March, 28 on 8 March, and 33 on 9 March. Airport authorities added that a further 32 flights were cancelled on 10 March.
Affected services include two flights by Kuwait Airways, four Sharjah-bound flights by Air Arabia, four Bahrain-bound flights by Gulf Air, and four by Qatar Airways. Additionally, four flights each were cancelled by Emirates Airline, Jazeera Airways (to Kuwait), and flydubai, along with three flights each from Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines.
To date, a total of 367 flights has been cancelled from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. Meanwhile, Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram has seen 91 international flights cancelled due to the conflict.
Authorities report that flight operations to key Middle Eastern destinations, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Doha, have been disrupted since 28 February. On Monday alone, six flights were cancelled from Chattogram airport, comprising four from Biman Bangladesh Airlines and two from Air Arabia.
Despite the disruptions, seven flights from the Middle East by various airlines operated normally on the same day. Airport sources suggest the situation is showing signs of slight improvement, with some flights from Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi to Chattogram being partially resumed by Air Arabia and US-Bangla Airlines.
However, officials have warned that further flight cancellations from the country’s airports remain a possibility in the coming days.
