391 Middle East flights cancelled in 12 days, 24 on Wednesday

A total of 24 flights were cancelled on Wednesday (March 11) at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East.

Amid the escalating conflict in the region, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan announced the temporary closure of their airspace starting February 28 as a precautionary measure.

The decision has directly impacted international flight operations from Dhaka. 

According to sources at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, numerous flights have been cancelled since the restrictions took effect.

Data provided by the aviation authority show that 23 flights from Dhaka were cancelled on February 28, followed by 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 and 32 flights on March 10.

On Wednesday, the cancelled flights included two operated by Kuwait Airways, four by Air Arabia from Sharjah, two by Gulf Air, four by Qatar Airways, four by Emirates, four by Jazeera Airways and four by flydubai.

With the latest cancellations, the total number of cancelled flights since February 28 has reached 391, aviation officials added.