Security situation in Middle East forced seven countries to close their airspace on February 28, resulting in cancellation of 245 flights from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport over a week.

This was informed through a press release sent by Muhammad Kawsar Mahmud, Assistant Director (Public Relations) of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).

Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan shut down their airspace citing security concerns. Move severely disrupted air travel for Bangladeshi passengers travelling to and from Gulf region.

Flight cancellations from Dhaka began on February 28 with 23 flights grounded. Disruptions peaked on March 2 when 46 flights were cancelled. Daily cancellations included 40 flights on March 1, 39 on March 3, 28 on March 4 and 36 on March 5.

On March 6 from midnight onwards, 33 more flights were cancelled. Affected airlines include Kuwait Airways with 4 cancellations, Jazeera Airways from Kuwait with 4, and Air Arabia from Sharjah with 6 flights grounded.

Qatar Airways cancelled 4 flights while Flydubai from UAE grounded 2. Bangladeshi carrier US-Bangla Airlines suffered highest cancellations with 5 flights, followed by Biman Bangladesh Airlines with 2 cancellations.

Gulf Air from Bahrain cancelled 2 flights. Emirates Airlines, one of busiest carriers on Dhaka route, grounded 4 flights. All affected airlines operate regular services connecting Bangladesh with Gulf countries where over 50 lakh Bangladeshi workers are employed.

Airspace closure particularly impacts Bangladeshi migrant workers, business travellers and families with connections in Gulf region. Many passengers faced uncertainty over travel plans and financial losses due to sudden cancellations.

Airlines are working to reschedule affected passengers once airspace reopens. However, exact timeline for normalisation of flight operations remains unclear as security situation continues to evolve in Middle East region.