Shahjalal International Airport cancels 74 flights in three days

At least 74 flights have been cancelled at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport over three days due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and temporary airspace closures in several countries.

From the afternoon of February 28, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan suspended parts of their airspace. The move disrupted flights to and from Dhaka, particularly on Middle East routes.

Airport sources said 23 flights were cancelled on Friday (February 28). These included one flight each from Emirates, Gulf Air and Flydubai; three from Air Arabia; six from US-Bangla Airlines; and 11 from Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

On Sunday (March 1), 40 flights were cancelled. These included two flights of Jazeera Airways, five of Emirates, two of Gulf Air, four of Flydubai, two of Qatar Airways, two of Salam Air, eight of Air Arabia, two of Kuwait Airways, four of US-Bangla Airlines and nine of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

As of Monday (March 2), 11 more flights were cancelled — four of Qatar Airways, five of Emirates and two of Gulf Air.

In total, 74 flights were cancelled between February 28 and March 2, according to information available at the time of filing this report. Thousands of passengers travelling to and from the Middle East have been affected.