22,000 Bangladesh passengers affected in Saudi flight disruption

A total of 141 flights from Dhaka to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Dammam were cancelled between October 10 and the night of October 23, leaving 21,933 passengers in distress.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), 66 of the cancelled flights were direct and 75 were transit services. Passengers on the direct flights could not reach Saudi Arabia as scheduled, while those who planned to travel via airports in other countries were also affected.

Among the cancelled direct flights, 27 belonged to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 10 to US-Bangla Airlines, 19 to Saudia and 10 to Riyadh Air.

Among transit flights, India’s IndiGo accounted for the most cancellations at 29. Emirates cancelled 14 flights, Qatar Airways 9, flydubai 8, SalamAir 7, Air India 7 and EgyptAir one. These flights were meant to take passengers to Riyadh and Dammam through airports in other countries. Because flights were also cancelled from those countries, passengers in Dhaka were unable to travel.

Flight operations were disrupted after security restrictions were imposed at Saudi airports and attacks took place. As a result, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has suspended all Riyadh-bound flights until October 31, and has also cancelled its Dammam flights from October 23 to 25.

Biman has said its flights from Dhaka to Jeddah and Medina will operate on schedule. In case of urgent need, passengers can use the Jeddah and Medina airports to travel to and from Riyadh and Dammam, subject to seat availability.

Until the overall situation normalises, uncertainty may continue over flights to Riyadh and Dammam. Passengers bound for Saudi Arabia are advised to contact their airline for the latest flight status before travelling.