33 more flights to and from HSIA cancelled over ME conflict

Airlines operating from HazratShahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka cancelled 33 more flights on Friday following the ongoing Middle East (ME) conflict.
With the fresh ones, a total of 245 flights had been cancelled from the country's main airport in the last week, Muhammad Kawsar Mahmud, Assistant Director (Public Relations) of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), confirmed the development.
Flight cancellations from Dhaka began on February 28, when 23 flights were grounded.
The disruption intensified on March 2, with 46 cancellations, marking the peak of the crisis. Other daily figures include 40 flights cancelled on March 1, 39 on March 3, 28 on March 4, and 36 on March 5.
Several airlines operating routes between Dhaka and the Gulf region were affected. Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways each cancelled four flights, while Air Arabia grounded six flights from Sharjah. Qatar Airways cancelled four flights, and Flydubai suspended two.
Among Bangladeshi carriers, US-Bangla Airlines recorded the highest number of cancellations with five flights, followed by Biman Bangladesh Airlines with two. Gulf Air from Bahrain cancelled two flights, while Emirates Airlines, one of the busiest carriers on the Dhaka route, grounded four flights.
All affected airlines operate regular services connecting Bangladesh with Gulf countries, where more than five million Bangladeshi migrant workers are employed.
The closure of airspace in parts of the Middle East has significantly impacted migrant workers, business travellers and families travelling between Bangladesh and the Gulf region. Many passengers have been left uncertain about their travel plans and have faced financial losses due to the sudden cancellations.
Airlines say they are working to reschedule the flights of affected passengers once airspace restrictions are lifted.
However, a clear timeline for the normalization of flight operations remains uncertain, as the security situation in the Middle East continues to evolve.
Apart from this, at least nine international flights have been cancelled at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, bringing the total number of cancelled flights there to 54 over the past week following disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict.

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