Fog disrupts flight schedules in Dhaka, Ctg

Operation of flights of several international airlines, which were scheduled to land or take off from the country's main airports, faced an unusual delay at Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday and early Friday due to dense fog caused poor visibility. Sources at the Hazrat Shahjalal (R) Int’l Airport said landing of 4 international flights was rescheduled in the wake of a foggy weather while taking off of 6 others was delayed by several hours on Thursday. Besides, 2 international flights bound for Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport were compelled to land at Hazrat Shah Amanat (R) International Airport in Chittagong on Thursday. Airport officials said a Dhaka-bound flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines from Bangkok landed at Hazrat Shah Amanat (R) International Airport around 12:30am. Another Dhaka-bound plane from Kuwait landed at the Chittagong airport in the morning. The sources also said a flight of Kuwait Airways and flights of Emirate Airlines, Qatar Airways and Pakistan International Airlines, which were scheduled at 9:30am and 12:10pm, landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal Airport at 2:00pm and 1:30pm respectively. Hazrat Shah Amanat (R) International Airport Civil Aviation Manager Noor-E-Alam said 2 planes took off for Dhaka around 12noon on Thursday when the fog subsided. He said several flights were late to leave Chittagong due to the thick fog in Dhaka. Alam said between to 7 to 10 international and 17 to 20 domestic flights flew to and from Chittagong every day on average. ‘Our apron (runway) management experienced some dislocations as flights from Dhaka were late,’ a civil aviation official and a Biman officer said. The officials said two fights of Oman Airlines landed at Kolkata airport failing to land at Shah Amanat (R) Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday. The planes later came to Chittagong when the situation became normal, they adding domestic flights from here were also delayed by 45 minutes to 1 hour on Friday, according to a news agency.