Subject to favorable conditions, Saudia Airlines is set to resume its flights from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to Dhaka starting Wednesday. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) shared this information on Tuesday, citing Saudi authorities.
Flight operations at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport were suspended for several days following a drone attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on October 10. All operations at the airport remained halted until 3:00 am Bangladesh time on October 14, after which flight movements gradually resumed.
According to a separate CAAB press release, restrictions on flight operations at Saudi airports have led to the suspension or cancellation of 146 direct and transit flights from Dhaka so far. This disruption has caused significant hardship for 22,241 passengers.
CAAB data indicates that 69 direct flights have been affected. This includes 29 flights by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 10 by US-Bangla Airlines, 19 by Saudia, and 11 by Riyadh Air.
Meanwhile, among the 77 affected transit flights are 30 by IndiGo, 7 by SalamAir, 1 by EgyptAir, 14 by Emirates, 9 by Qatar Airways, 8 by flydubai, and 8 by Air India.
In light of these circumstances and to ensure passenger safety, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has suspended its flights on the Riyadh and Dammam routes. According to the latest announcement, Biman's flights from Dhaka to Riyadh and Dammam will remain suspended until November 4.
Earlier, following a slight improvement in the situation, Biman had resumed flights on the Dammam route starting October 21.
