Ongoing security concerns in the Middle East have led to the cancellation of 477 flights at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport over a 15-day period.
The disruptions occurred between February 28 and after midnight on March 14 following the closure of airspaces by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan, according to a press release issued on Saturday.
The number of cancelled flights stood at 23 on February 28, 40 on March 1, 46 on March 2, 39 on March 3, 32 on March 4, 36 on March 5, 34 on March 6, 28 on March 7, 28 on March 8, 33 on March 9, 32 on March 10, 27 on March 11, 28 on March 12 and 25 on March 13.
Another 26 flights were cancelled after midnight on Saturday.
The cancelled flights on Saturday involved several international carriers including Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Jazeera Airways and flydubai, each with four cancellations.
Kuwait Airways, Air Arabia and US-Bangla Airlines each had two flights cancelled.
Despite the disruptions, flights to several destinations continued to operate.
Between February 28 and March 14, a total of 490 flights operated from the airport to Muscat, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The number included six flights on February 28, 20 on March 1, 18 on March 2, 22 on March 3, 35 on March 4, 38 on March 5, 34 on March 6, 39 on March 7, 31 on March 8, 40 on March 9, 42 on March 10, 36 on March 11, 48 on March 12 and 37 on March 13.
Another 44 flights were scheduled on Saturday, including six to Muscat, 18 to Saudi Arabia and 20 to the United Arab Emirates.
Among the UAE-bound flights, 10 were scheduled for Dubai, nine for Sharjah and one for Abu Dhabi.
Airport officials said the closure of several regional airspaces has significantly disrupted the schedules of both direct and connecting flights.
They said some travel continues through limited alternative routes but the situation remains a major challenge for international aviation at the country’s main airport.
