Saudi flight curbs hit 23,000 passengers

More than 23,000 passengers travelling between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have been affected by widespread flight disruptions, leaving many facing uncertainty over their travel plans as airlines cancel, suspend or reschedule services.

A total of 180 flights on Bangladesh-Saudi routes have been affected by operational restrictions at various Saudi airports, according to the latest information released by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on Saturday afternoon.

Of the affected flights, 103 are direct services and 77 are transit flights. The CAAB data show that 51 of the direct flights belong to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 10 to US-Bangla Airlines, 21 to Saudia and 21 to Riyadh Air.

Among the transit services, 30 flights are operated by IndiGo, seven by Salam Air, one by EgyptAir, 14 by Emirates, nine by Qatar Airways, eight by flydubai and eight by Air India.

The aviation authority said the disruption to the 180 flights had affected a total of 23,085 passengers.

However, it did not provide a breakdown of how many services had been cancelled, suspended, delayed or rescheduled.

The disruption follows restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia on air travel after missile attacks on several airports in the country, affecting international flight operations.

On the night of October 10, a missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people, including two Bangladeshis. Another 309 people were injured, 24 of them Bangladeshis.