Over 100 Dhaka-Saudi flights cancelled amid airport closures

At least 100 flights between Dhaka and Saudi Arabia were cancelled or suspended between 10 and 14 October amid airport closures and stringent flight restrictions following recent attacks on Saudi airports, disrupting the travel plans of 15,393 passengers, particularly migrant workers whose visas are close to expiry.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), the affected services comprised 41 direct flights and 59 connecting flights. Among the direct services, Biman Bangladesh Airlines cancelled or suspended 17, US-Bangla Airlines 10, and Saudia and Riyadh Air seven each. The connecting flights included 22 operated by India’s IndiGo, 14 by Emirates, seven each by SalamAir and Qatar Airways, six by flydubai, two by Air India and one by EgyptAir. Meanwhile, security concerns arising from the attacks in the Riyadh and Dammam regions have severely disrupted airport operations: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been fully closed, while flights at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam have suffered major disruption. By contrast, operations at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah remain normal.

Consequently, Biman has suspended all Riyadh and Dammam flights until 17 October, while US-Bangla has cancelled its Riyadh services until 21 October. In line with government instructions, airlines are offering passengers alternative routes via Madinah and Jeddah, with ticket changes free of additional charge. Nevertheless, limited seat availability has prevented many travellers from securing immediate replacements.

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Biman officials said priority was being given to passengers whose visas were nearing expiry, with efforts under way to fill every available seat. Furthermore, this has in some cases led to overbooking, and passengers who had already completed immigration formalities were temporarily sent back before being accommodated on later flights. Aviation industry stakeholders maintain that reallocating seats on alternative routes remains a formidable challenge because those flights already carry existing bookings.