Middle East crisis triggers 335 flight cancellations at Dhaka airport since Feb 28

A total of 335 flights have been cancelled at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka since February 28 after several Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace due to security concerns in the region.

Airport authorities said 33 flights were cancelled today alone.

The cancelled services included two flights of Kuwait Airways to Kuwait; six Air Arabia flights to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates; two Gulf Air flights to Bahrain; four Qatar Airways flights to Qatar; four Emirates flights to the UAE; four Jazeera Airways flights to Kuwait; four Flydubai flights to the UAE; three Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights; and four US-Bangla Airlines flights.

On February 28, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan closed their airspace, disrupting flights operating from Dhaka to several Middle Eastern destinations.

According to HSIA data, 23 flights were cancelled on February 28, followed by 40 on March 1, 46 on March 2, 39 on March 3, 28 on March 4, 36 on March 5, 34 on March 6, 28 on March 7 and 28 on March 8.

Despite the disruptions, a total of 243 flights to Middle Eastern destinations have operated to and from the Dhaka airport since February 28.

Airport authorities said 40 flights to Middle Eastern destinations are scheduled to operate today. These include six flights to Muscat, 22 to Saudi Arabia and 12 to the United Arab Emirates -- five to Dubai, one to Abu Dhabi and six to Sharjah.