Passengers suffer amid flight suspension following Dhaka airport fire
They described the experience as chaotic
Passengers faced severe disruption and suffering as flight operations at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) remained suspended for about six hours today (18 October) following a massive fire at the airport's cargo village.
According to airport sources, Kuwait-bound Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight was cancelled, while eight other flights were diverted to Chattogram's Shah Amanat International Airport.
Several other flights were rerouted to alternate airports both domestically and abroad, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated.
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Flight operations were halted around 3:45pm after the fire broke out near Gate No 8 of the import cargo area.
The first aircraft landed at 9:06pm after operations partially resumed.
Officials said 267 passengers had already boarded the Kuwait-bound Biman flight when it was called off minutes before departure due to safety concerns.
Passengers described the experience as chaotic.
"The checking stopped suddenly after the fire started," said Kamrul Islam, one of the passengers.
Another traveller said his Emirates flight, originally scheduled for 7:30pm, was rescheduled to 3am. "We're stuck with our families and have nowhere to go."
Meanwhile, a Himalaya Airlines flight carrying 180 passengers that was scheduled to land in Dhaka was redirected to Nepal.
Emirates diverted one of its Dubai-Dhaka flights to Karachi, while flights from Chennai and Sharjah were rerouted to Kolkata and Chattogram, respectively.
