A total of 20 flights from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were cancelled on Saturday due to the ongoing security crisis in the Middle East.
The cancellations come as tensions continue to escalate following joint attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, with Tehran responding with retaliatory actions over the past eight days.
The situation has heightened instability across the region and disrupted international air travel.
In response to the deteriorating security environment, several Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan, closed their airspace on 28 February, leading to widespread flight disruptions.
Airport authorities said that since 28 February, a total of 268 flights have been cancelled from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The daily breakdown shows 23 cancellations 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 Friday, and 20 on Saturday.
Despite the cancellations, 214 flights have departed from Dhaka to various Middle Eastern destinations during the same period.
Of these, six flights operated on 28 February, 20 on 1 March, 18 on 2 March, 22 on 3 March, 35 on 4 March, 38 on 5 March, 34 on Friday, and 41 flights are scheduled to depart on Saturday.
Airport officials said flight operations remain subject to change depending on developments in the Middle East security situation.
