Dense fog forces 5 Dhaka-bound flights to divert to Kolkata

Thick fog over Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport disrupted air traffic early Thursday, forcing five international flights to divert to Kolkata.

Flights scheduled to land between 1:00am and 6:00am were affected as poor visibility obscured the runway.

Among the diverted flights were a Kuwait Airways flight from Kuwait, two from Jazeera Airways, and two from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, including one from Dammam.

Other international flights, including US-Bangla from Dubai, Biman flights from Kuala Lumpur and Guangzhou, Air Arabia from Sharjah, and Salam Air from Muscat, faced delays of two to four hours before landing safely in Dhaka.

Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal Airport, Group Captain S M Ragib Samad, confirmed the diversion of the Kuwait Airways flight due to dense fog, while airport sources said several other flights were also forced to land in Kolkata under similar conditions.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned that moderate to dense fog could persist across various parts of the country until Friday morning, potentially affecting road and river traffic and intensifying the winter chill.