Airport attacks: Biman flights on Riyadh route suspended until Nov 30

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has extended the suspension of its flights on the route to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh after attacks by Yemen's Houthi group on airports and facilities in the kingdom.

In a media statement on Wednesday afternoon, Biman said flights on the Dhaka-Riyadh-Dhaka route will remain suspended until Nov 30 due to the situation caused by airstrikes and in consideration of passenger safety.

Biman said that flights on this route will be suspended until further notice. On the other hand, flights on the Dhaka-Jeddah-Dhaka, Dhaka-Dammam-Dhaka and Dhaka-Madinah-Dhaka routes will continue as per the previously announced decisions and schedules.

The airline has urged passengers to contact the nearest Biman Bangladesh Airlines sales centre for updated information on tickets and travel.

Previously, Biman had announced the cancellation or suspension of flights on the Riyadh route through a media statement on the night of Nov 3. The statement also said the Dammam route, which was closed at the time, would resume flights from Nov 7.

186 Flights Cancelled, 23,000 Passengers Affected

Meanwhile, 186 flights from Dhaka to different cities in Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or suspended due to the conflict. The cancellations have affected 23,161 passengers.

According to information provided by the Shahjalal International Airport Authority, 109 direct flights and 77 transit flights have been cancelled or suspended from Dhaka so far.

Among the cancelled or suspended direct flights, 55 were from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 10 from US-Bangla Airlines, 21 from Saudia Airlines, and 23 from Riyadh Airways.

Meanwhile, Indigo Airlines accounted for the largest number of cancelled transit flights with 30.

In addition, Emirates Airlines has cancelled 14 transit flights, Salam Air seven flights, Qatar Airways nine flights, FlyDubai eight flights, Air India eight flights and EgyptAir one flight.