At least 500 Middle Eastern flights were cancelled to and from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka city in the past 16 days since February 28 till Sunday when 23 flights were cancelled.
The situation has cast Bangladeshi expatriates into serious trouble, as they are struggling to travel to and from the war-ridden Gulf region, a major destination for the country’s migrant workers.
During the period, however, 539 flights from and to Saudi Arabia, Oman capital Muscat and the United Arab Emirates were carried out, according to the HSIA flight management information shared by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.
HSIA airport security manager for flight management Md Masudul Hasan Masud said that Saudi flights continued operation despite the airspaces were closed by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan in the wake of the joint strike by the United States and Israel on Iran launched on February 28.
‘Flights from and to Dubai resumed their operations from March 4,’ Masud, also Bangladesh Air Force squadron leader told The Financial Post.
Of the 23 flights were cancelled on Sunday, two belonged to Kuwait Airways, two to Air Arabia, two to Gulf Air, four to Qatar Airways, two to Emirates, four to Jazeera Airways, four to FlyDubai, one Biman Bangladesh Airlines and two to US Bangla Airlines.
On Sunday, 49 flights were scheduled for departure and arrival at HSIA, six were to and from Muscat, 21 Saudi Arabia and 22 United Arab Emirates.
The US and Israel jointly launched attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering retaliation from Iran almost immediately with attacks on Israeli and US military bases in the Middle Eastern countries.
FP/A
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