A total of 1,060 outbound flights from Dhaka to Middle Eastern destinations have been cancelled over the last one and a half months due to the ongoing conflict in the region.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Assistant Director (Public Relations) Kawsar Mahmud confirmed this information on Sunday.
According to officials, the disruption began on February 28, when several countries-including Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates-temporarily closed their airspaces, following the Middle East conflict, significantly affecting the flight operation.
According to Airport sources, the number of cancelled flights has now reached 1,060 over the six-week period.
Most of the affected flights were bound for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Kuwait, Doha, and Manama. Affected airlines included Qatar Airways, Emirates, flydubai, Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Airways, US-Bangla Airlines, and Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
Data from CAAB shows that 339 flights were cancelled between February 28 and March 9, followed by 275 between March 10 and March 19, 226 between March 20 and March 29, 160 between March 30 and April 8, and 60 cancellations recorded between April 9 and April 12.
