107 flights disrupted, 16,620 passengers affected
The number of Saudi Arabia-bound passengers affected by flight disruptions continued to rise on Friday as more flights remained suspended or disrupted amid restrictions on airport operations in the kingdom, leaving thousands of travelers in uncertainty.
However, very few Riyadh-bound passengers came to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka on Friday as airlines had already suspended their scheduled services to the Saudi capital.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), a total of 107 direct and transit flights operated by different airlines have been affected since Saturday, disrupting the travel plans of 16,620 passengers.
Of the affected flights, 44 were direct and 63 were transit flights.
Among direct flights, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines had 17 and 10 flights affected, respectively. Saudia Airlines recorded 10 affected flights, while Riyadh Air had seven.
Among transit flights, IndiGo recorded the highest number of disruptions, with 22 flights affected, followed by Emirates with 14, Qatar Airways with nine, SalamAir with seven, flydubai with six, Air India with four and EgyptAir with one.
Meanwhile, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has extended the suspension of its Dhaka-Riyadh and Dhaka-Dammam flights until 18 October amid the disruptions at Saudi airports.
Passengers requiring urgent travel have been advised to use Jeddah and Madinah airports as alternatives.
Biman initially suspended all flights on the Dhaka-Riyadh and Dhaka-Dammam routes until 17 October, citing passenger safety concerns. The suspension was announced on 12 October and subsequently extended by a day.
US-Bangla Airlines has also suspended all Dhaka-Riyadh-Dhaka flights until 21 October following the closure of Riyadh airport amid repeated attacks.
The flight disruptions follow a series of attacks on Saudi airports in early October.
According to media reports, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group claimed responsibility for an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 10 October that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi authorities. The death toll later rose to 13.
A further projectile struck the airport on 11 October, killing one person and injuring 11 others, according to Saudi authorities. The strike hit a passenger terminal and caused a fire. Saudi-led coalition forces also reported intercepting a cruise missile near Riyadh airport amid the escalating attacks.
The attacks have prompted airport restrictions and flight disruptions, affecting both direct services and connecting journeys through Saudi Arabia.
