54 flights suspended till Sunday noon; US-Bangla resumes Saudi, Oman routes

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has disrupted air travel in Bangladesh, with a total of 54 flights cancelled or temporarily suspended at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) until 12:00pm today (1 March), airport authorities said.

Dhaka airport Executive Director Group Captain Ragib Samad told The Business Standard that the flights had been suspended from yesterday till this noon.

However, no unusual passenger congestion was observed at the airport today, he moted.

Amid the crisis, US-Bangla Airlines has resumed flights to Saudi Arabia and Oman. In a press release, the airline said scheduled flights to Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman would operate as per schedule from 1 March.

Passengers have been requested to arrive at the airport at least four hours before departure and collect their boarding passes from the check-in counters.

However, considering the overall situation in the Middle East, US-Bangla has temporarily suspended flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, as well as Doha in Qatar. The airline said affected passengers would be contacted once the situation normalises.

Passengers seeking flight-related information have been advised to call 13605 or 01777777800-806.

Assistant Director of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), Fakhrul Islam, told TBS, "We visited the airport this morning to check whether any workers were stranded due to flight disruptions. There are no waiting passengers at the airport today. Those whose flights were cancelled yesterday have been accommodated in hotels and government dormitories."

He added, "Flights to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, among several other countries, remain suspended. However, US-Bangla and several foreign airlines have resumed operations on the Saudi Arabia and Oman routes."

Airport sources said flight operations to destinations in Southeast Asia and South Asia, excluding the Middle East, remain normal.

Meanwhile, all international flights to and from the Middle East were cancelled at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram this morning. The cancellations include seven arrivals and three departures, airport authorities confirmed in a press release.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines also announced revised schedules for two previously cancelled flights. The Dhaka–Madinah flight (BG 337), which was cancelled yesterday, will depart at 4:00pm today, while the Dhaka–Jeddah flight (BG 335), also cancelled yesterday, will depart at 7:00pm today.

Additionally, flight BG-135 (Dhaka-Chattogram-Jeddah) will depart for Jeddah from Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport at 5:35pm today.