131 flights cancelled at Dhaka airport in four days amid Middle East conflict

On the first day of the war, 23 flights were cancelled; 40 on Sunday; 46 on Monday; and 22 more up to Tuesday afternoon

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A total of 131 flights from Dhaka to destinations in the Middle East have been cancelled since the outbreak of war in Iran, authorities at Shahjalal International Airport have said.

The flights were scheduled to depart for various Middle Eastern destinations over four days starting Saturday.

The cancellations have left thousands of passengers facing significant disruption and uncertainty.

In a statement on Monday, the airport authorities said that Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan closed their airspace amid the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East on Saturday.

“As a result, 131 flights were cancelled up to Tuesday.”

According to airport figures, 23 flights were initially suspended on Saturday, the first day of the conflict, and later cancelled.

A further 40 flights were axed on Sunday and 46 on Monday.

By Tuesday afternoon, another 22 flights had been added to the cancellation list.

The scrapped services include flights operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, flydubai, Air Arabia, SalamAir, Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways.