Bangladesh experienced major flight disruptions as airlines cancelled a total of 183 international flights at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital and Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram over four days since February 28, following escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Group Captain S M Ragib Samad, executive director of HSIA, and Ibrahim Khalil, public relations officer of Shah Amanat International Airport, confirmed the update to The Financial Express.
Mr Samad said at least 39 flights were cancelled on Tuesday (March 3), following 23 cancellations on February 28, 40 on March 1, and 46 on March 2.
The disruptions affected both international carriers and Bangladeshi airlines operating routes to and from the Middle Eastern countries, he added.
Due to the ongoing conflict, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan temporarily closed their airspace on February 28, directly impacting Dhaka operations.
Tuesday saw multiple cancellations among Gulf carriers.
Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Flydubai each called off four services, while Kuwait Airways cancelled two flights from Dhaka. Gulf Air cancelled four flights from Bahrain, Jazeera Airways suspended four services from Kuwait, and Air Arabia halted 12 flights from Sharjah.
Bangladeshi carriers also faced disruptions, with Biman Bangladesh Airlines cancelling one flight and US-Bangla Airlines suspending four services. Airlines are rescheduling operations and accommodating stranded passengers.
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