Biman, Himalaya flights cancelled as protests shut Kathmandu airport

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight bound for Nepal's Kathmandu has been forced to turn back mid-journey after being denied permission to land at Tribhuvan International Airport, where all operations have been suspended amid violent protests.

With flights in and out of Kathmandu halted, air connectivity between Dhaka and the Nepalese capital have been snapped. That means Biman’s outbound BG 371 and return BG 372 flights, as well as a scheduled service by Himalaya Airlines, are grounded, according to airport officials.

The youth-led protests, sparked by a ban on social media, entered a second day in Kathmandu on Tuesday, culminating in the resignation of Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

The ongoing turmoil has left many Bangladeshis stranded in the city.

On the flight that had departed for Kathmandu earlier in the afternoon, Biman spokesman ABM Raoshan Kabir said: “It left at 12:30pm as scheduled. But Tribhuvan authorities did not permit it to land, so it returned and landed back in Dhaka."

Biman said it was making arrangements to accommodate the 114 passengers booked on the Dhaka–Kathmandu leg, as well as the 96 passengers who were scheduled to return from Kathmandu, in hotels until flights can resume.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's spokesman Squadron Leader Md Masud said that both Biman and Himalaya flights had been cancelled, with Biman’s service diverted back to Dhaka.