US-Bangla Airlines brought a total of 783 stranded Bangladeshis home from Dubai, with 405 passengers arriving on its second special rescue flight on Friday morning, following the successful evacuation of 378 passengers a day earlier amid the escalating Middle East conflict.

Aircraft landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (Dhaka airport) at 6:04 am after departing Dubai at 12:15 am, experiencing weather-related delays. Flight was scheduled to leave at 10:00 pm on Thursday but faced complications due to atmospheric conditions.

Special flights followed February 28 assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which triggered military exchanges between Iran, Israel and United States. Ballistic missiles and drone strikes forced closure of airspace across Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and other Gulf nations.

Over two hundred flights involving Bangladeshi passengers were cancelled since conflict began. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) confirmed 260 cancellations by Thursday, with numbers rising subsequently.

Kamrul Islam, General Manager (Public Relations) at US-Bangla told media on Thursday that priority was given to passengers facing visa expiry or urgent travel needs. “We received permission for two special flights from Dubai to Dhaka. Today’s flight brings nearly 400 passengers. We have applied for additional special flights to clear backlog”, he said.

Dubai International Airport Authority granted permission to US-Bangla, Emirates and Air India to operate special flights considering global crisis. Both US-Bangla flights used Airbus 330 aircraft with 436-seat capacity operating as BS 342.

First rescue flight Thursday morning included 27 crew members who had been stranded in UAE for five days since Saturday. Passengers expressed relief after days of anxiety about returning home during Ramadan season ahead of Eid celebrations.

Returning passengers reported that residential areas in Dubai remained relatively stable, though conflict impact was visible elsewhere. Families waiting at airport greeted passengers with flowers as they completed immigration procedures through Terminal 2.

Kamrul assured passengers seeking refunds or rescheduling would face no unnecessary complications. “This is about service, not business. We want minimal costs within logical amounts. Passengers should contact sales counters or travel agencies for refunds according to our cancellation policy”, he said.

Hotline number 09617800100 through 09617800106 operates 24 hours for passenger inquiries. Islam urged passengers facing excessive charges from travel agencies to contact US-Bangla sales counters directly with complaints for timely resolution.

Passengers who purchased tickets through travel agents must contact those agents for airline refunds and rescheduling. Kamrul emphasized that waiting for certainty from Gulf area before announcing new flight schedules, though airline is prepared to operate additional flights once airspace opens.

India’s Air India also received permission and is operating rescue flights. Bangladesh’s other airlines remain grounded on Middle East routes, though some destinations including Saudi Arabia and Oman continue limited operations.

US-Bangla awaits positive response from Dubai International Airport Authority for additional special flights to evacuate remaining stranded passengers. Airline committed to restoring passenger confidence during uncertain period.

Conflict escalated after Iran launched attacks on US military bases across Middle East using ballistic missiles and drones. United States and Israel responded with counter-strikes on Iranian targets, creating dangerous conditions across regional airspace.