Biman to resume Riyadh flights Oct 25

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is set to resume flights from Dhaka to Riyadh on October 25 as the security situation at Saudi Arabian airports improves following a series of attacks earlier this month, while services to Dammam have already resumed.

According to a press release issued by the national flag carrier on Wednesday, a Riyadh-bound flight will depart Dhaka at 1:25am on October 26. Further decisions on restoring other Riyadh-bound flights will be made after monitoring and reviewing the overall situation.

Biman resumed flights on the Dhaka-Dammam route on Wednesday after suspending services over security concerns. The airline will operate daily flights on the route from October 21 to 26, with a Boeing 777 departing Dhaka for Dammam at 8:00am each day.

 Dammam services restored, Jeddah flights rescheduled as Saudi airport situation improves 

The airline has also finalised its schedule for Jeddah. Two flights will operate from Dhaka to Jeddah on October 22, followed by one daily flight departing at 7:20pm on October 23, 24 and 25.

Regular flights on the Dhaka-Madinah route have continued since October 18 using Boeing 787 aircraft. Biman said the schedule would remain unchanged until further notice.

Meanwhile, operational restrictions at Saudi Arabian airports have disrupted 134 direct and transit flights, affecting 20,254 passengers, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh's (CAAB) ASM Flight Management system on Wednesday. 

Of the affected flights, 61 were direct services and 73 were transit flights operated by 11 airlines.
Biman recorded the highest number of disruptions among direct services, with 22 flights affected. Saudia Airlines reported 19 disruptions, while US-Bangla Airlines and Riyadh Airways each recorded 10.

Among transit services, India's IndiGo reported the highest number of disruptions, with 28 flights affected. Emirates followed with 14, Qatar Airways with nine, flydubai with eight, SalamAir with seven, Air India with six and EgyptAir with one.

The disruptions have caused uncertainty for passengers travelling between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, as well as those connecting through regional hubs. The restoration of services on key routes is expected to provide some relief, although Biman said further changes would depend on developments in the security situation.