24 more Dhaka flights cancelled Saturday amid Middle East tensions

A total of 24 flights were cancelled at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Saturday (March 14) due to security risks in air routes stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

According to sources at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), several Middle Eastern countries temporarily closed their airspace from February 28 amid the war situation. The affected countries include Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan.

The airspace restrictions have significantly disrupted flight operations at Dhaka’s main international gateway.

CAAB data shows that since February 28, cancellations have occurred daily: 23 flights on Feb 28, 40 on March 1, 46 on March 2, 39 on March 3, 28 on March 4, 36 on March 5, 34 on March 6, 28 on March 7, 28 on March 8, 33 on March 9, 32 on March 10, 27 on March 11, 28 on March 12, 25 on March 13 and 24 on March 14.

With the latest disruptions, the total number of cancelled flights has reached 475.

Saturday’s cancellations included two flights by Kuwait Airways, two by Air Arabia (Sharjah), four each by Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Jazeera Airways and flydubai.

Authorities said the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt normal flight operations across regional air routes.