27 more flights cancelled at Dhaka airport following Middle East airspace shutdowns

A total of 27 flights have been cancelled at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) as of 11:45am today amid Middle East airspace closures.

Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, executive director of the airport, confirmed the information.

Flights from Bangladesh to several Middle Eastern destinations have remained suspended since yesterday afternoon as some countries in the region temporarily closed their airspace due to strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran and its retaliation.

In a notice, HSIA authorities said Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai and Qatar were among those that declared temporary airspace closures, forcing several commercial flights on affected routes to be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.

As news of the flight suspensions spread, hundreds of passengers -- mainly migrant workers, along with those travelling for business, Umrah or transit -- crowded the airport, only to become stranded and face suffering.