26 flights from Dhaka cancelled in a day, 614 in 20 days

At least 26 flights from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka were cancelled on Thursday (March 19) due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said the disruption began after countries including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan temporarily closed their airspace from February 28 due to security concerns.

Since then, the total number of cancelled flights has risen to 614.

Data shows that cancellations have continued daily since February 28. The highest number was recorded on March 2 with 46 cancellations, followed by 40 on March 1, with the trend persisting in the following days, causing major disruption to air travel.

Of the 26 flights cancelled on Thursday, four were bound for Kuwait, six operated by Air Arabia (Sharjah), two by Gulf Air (Bahrain), four by Qatar Airways, two by Emirates, four by Jazeera Airways (Kuwait), and four by flydubai (UAE).

CAAB said necessary measures are being taken to minimize passenger suffering amid the ongoing situation.