More than half of all planned Middle East flights from Dhaka did not took off. In11 days between February 28 and March 10, 367 flights were cancelled at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (Dhaka airport), surpassing the 325 that actually operated, as 7 Gulf nations simultaneously sealed their airspaces amid a deepening regional security crisis.

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

Data reveal a clear and measurable trend. 53% capacity collapse, 9 airlines grounded in part, and a sufficiency rate that fell to roughly one seat available for every two passengers who needed one. But behind the statistics are the people who paid the real price. Bangladeshi migrant workers stranded mid-journey, families separated during Ramadan, and labourers unable to return to the Gulf jobs on which millions of households back home depend. The airspace closed in a matter of hours. The consequences will take far longer to clear.

Key metrics at a glance

On February 28, 7 Middle Eastern countries, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan, simultaneously closed their airspaces following a deteriorating regional security situation. Closures struck at the heart of one of Bangladesh’s most critical aviation corridors, connecting the country to the Gulf region, which hosts over 50 lakh Bangladeshi expatriate workers.

Scale of disruption

Over the 11-day period from February 28 to March 10, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) recorded 367 flight cancellations, a figure that exceeded the 325 Middle East flights that actually operated during the same window. This means that cancellations outnumbered completions, producing a sufficiency rate of approximately 47%. Put differently, for every two passengers who successfully departed, roughly two others were left stranded.

The disruption was not evenly distributed. Cancellations began at 23 on February 28 and peaked sharply at 46 on March 2, before tapering to 28–39 per day through the first week of March. The second week maintained a similarly elevated level, with 28–36 daily cancellations and 33 recorded on March 9 alone.

Supply-side response

Of the 325 flights that operated, Saudi Arabia absorbed the largest share with 183 departures, followed by UAE destinations (73 flights to Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi) and Oman (69 flights to Muscat). These routes skirted the most severely restricted airspaces and allowed partial connectivity to be maintained. Operations ramped up from just 6 flights on February 28 to 42 on March 10, the highest single-day count, suggesting airlines progressively identified viable routing alternatives.

Despite this ramp-up, the supply response remained insufficient. Even on March 10, with 42 flights operated, 32 cancellations were still recorded, indicating that airspace restrictions remained substantially in force and that scheduling optimism outpaced actual operational clearance.

Airline and passenger impact

Nine airlines were affected including Kuwait Airways, Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Jazeera Airways, flydubai, Biman Bangladesh, and US-Bangla. On March 10 alone, each of Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Jazeera Airways, and flydubai cancelled 4 flights, while both Biman Bangladesh and US-Bangla cancelled three flights each.

The human cost was disproportionately borne by Bangladeshi migrant workers, Ramadan travellers, and families with Gulf connections, groups with limited financial flexibility to absorb rebooking costs or extended delays. The timing of the crisis, coinciding with peak Ramadan travel and the return of workers after winter holidays, amplified the socio-economic toll significantly.

Air connectivity between Dhaka and the Middle East operated at roughly half its intended capacity across the 11-day crisis window. With 367 cancellations against 325 operated flights, the supply of seats was critically insufficient to meet demand. Full normalization remains contingent on the lifting of regional airspace restrictions, which, as of Tuesday, continued to affect operations across multiple carriers and destinations.