A total of 775 flights to Middle Eastern destinations have been cancelled from Dhaka over the past 26 days due to ongoing conflict and airspace closures in the region, aviation officials said.

Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) sources said Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan temporarily closed their airspace from February 28 amid security concerns, directly impacting operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).

As a result, 22 flights have been cancelled for Thursday (March 26) alone. According to CAAB data, flight cancellations began with 23 on February 28 and continued in varying numbers through March, reflecting the prolonged disruption caused by the Middle East crisis.

Of the 22 cancelled flights on Thursday, six are operated by Air Arabia (Sharjah), four by Qatar Airways, four by Jazeera Airways (Kuwait), four to Kuwait, two by Gulf Air (Bahrain) and two by Emirates (UAE).

Officials said the situation has significantly disrupted passenger movement, particularly affecting Bangladeshi expatriates travelling to and from Middle Eastern destinations.

They added that flight operations are expected to normalise once the regional security situation improves and airspace restrictions are lifted.