Flights connecting Bangladesh with various Middle Eastern locations have partially resumed today following widespread cancellations due to security issues in the Gulf region. Airlines have started to announce revised schedules and limited operations from both Dhaka and Chattogram.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has confirmed that all its flights bound for the Middle East, except for those heading to Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, will proceed as scheduled today. The airline has also rescheduled three previously canceled flights. The Dhaka to Madinah flight BG-337, which was canceled yesterday, is now set to depart today at 4:00 pm. Similarly, the Dhaka to Jeddah flight BG-335, also canceled yesterday, is scheduled to depart today at 7:00 pm.
Furthermore, the Dhaka to Riyadh flight BG-339, which was suspended at 1:15 am yesterday, is now planned to depart for Riyadh tomorrow at 1:00 pm. Passengers have been advised by Boshra Islam, the airline’s general manager of public relations, to arrive at the airport at least four hours prior to departure.
Another Biman flight (BG-135) on the Dhaka to Chattogram to Jeddah route is expected to depart for Jeddah from Shah Amanat International Airport at 4:10 pm today, as confirmed by Engineer Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, the airport’s public relations officer. Updates on additional international flights will be shared as soon as they are available.
Meanwhile, US-Bangla Airlines has resumed flight operations to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Muscat today as per the regular schedule. The airline has urged passengers to arrive at the airport at least four hours before departure and obtain boarding passes from US-Bangla check-in counters.
However, due to the prevailing situation in the Middle East, US-Bangla Airlines has temporarily halted its flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah in the UAE, and Doha in Qatar. Passengers will be notified when operations to these destinations are feasible again. For flight-related inquiries, passengers are encouraged to contact 13605 or 01777777800-806.
Earlier today, all international flights to and from the Middle East at Shah Amanat International Airport were canceled, including seven arrivals and three departures. Airport authorities confirmed the cancellations through a press release. In the same vein, a total of 54 flights bound for the Middle East from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were canceled from yesterday afternoon until this morning due to security risks in the Gulf region.
Group Captain Ragib Samad, the executive director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, explained that the cancellations were made in light of security concerns during the mentioned period.