23 more flights cancelled today amid Middle East unrest; total reaches 500 over past 16 days

Passenger suffering continued at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport today (15 March) as 23 more international flights were cancelled due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East, bringing the total number of cancellations over the past 16 days to 500.

Airport sources said the disruptions began on 28 February after countries including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan suspended or restricted their airspace amid heightened regional tensions.

Several major Middle Eastern airlines have suspended or reduced operations on Dhaka routes due to the airspace restrictions.

These include Kuwait Airways, Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Jazeera Airways and Flydubai.

Bangladeshi carriers, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines, have also been affected, with several scheduled flights cancelled during the period.

Officials said the closures of key transit airspaces have forced airlines to suspend flights or alter routes, leading to operational disruptions and affecting thousands of passengers travelling between Bangladesh and the Middle East.

Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, and normal flight operations are expected to resume once the regional airspace restrictions are lifted.