How Iran-Israel war impacts Bangladesh's air transport to the Middle East

Bangladeshi airlines operating flights to the Middle East have rerouted to avoid Iranian airspace since the recent escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict.

The national carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, has altered its routes for flights to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which previously passed slightly through Iranian airspace.

"We decided to avoid Iranian airspace just after the war began on Friday. None of our flights used Iranian routes except for those bound for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait," A B M Rowshan Kabir, general manager (Public Relations) of Biman, told TBS.

"However, due to the rerouting, the change in flight duration is minimal - only around 10 to 15 minutes longer," he added.

According to airline sources, Biman is now operating via the Bangladesh-India-Pakistan-Persian Gulf Sea-Bahrain-UAE-Oman-Saudi Arabia/Kuwait route.

By avoiding Iranian airspace, Biman is relying more on the Persian Gulf Sea route, the official said.

US-Bangla Airlines, the country's largest private carrier, has not had to make any changes to its Middle East-bound routes, as it was not using Iranian airspace in the first place, said Kamrul Islam, general manager (Public Relations) of US-Bangla Airlines.

Meanwhile, airlines like Air Arabia have suspended their connecting flights from Bangladesh to Iran via the UAE, said Group Captain Ragib Samad, executive director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

"The Air Arabia authority informed me about their suspension of connecting flights to Iran. No airline currently operates direct flights from Dhaka to Tehran," he said.

As per the instructions of UAE authority, all passengers transiting through UAE heading to Iran, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Syria, are not allowed to board till further notice, said Dhaka airport executive director. 

He added that no other airlines have so far informed airport authorities of route changes due to the ongoing conflict.

Currently, an average of 150-160 international flights operate daily to and from Dhaka airport.

According to sources at the Airlines GSA Association of Bangladesh, the closure of Iranian airspace has had minimal impact on flights between Bangladesh and the Middle East.

Iran is not a typical migrant workers destination from Bangaldesh. 

The number of Bangladeshis is around 2000 in Iran, according to an unofficial estimate.

Flights across the Middle East continue to be grounded or rerouted as tensions between Israel and Iran erupt into open confrontation, causing one of the most significant disruptions to regional aviation in recent years, reports The New Arab.

The escalation has led to the closure of airspace in Iran, Iraq, and Jordan, as authorities cite safety concerns for civil aviation.

Iraq's airspace - a key corridor for east-west air traffic between Europe and the Gulf - was closed on Friday, disrupting hundreds of daily flights that typically cross the region.

Iran's official news agency IRNA confirmed that the country's airspace has been shut down "until further notice." 

Jordan's aviation authority also announced a temporary closure in anticipation of any dangers arising from the conflict.