Saudi Airport Restrictions Disrupt 141 Flights, Nearly 22,000 Passengers Suffer

Flight operations of various airlines have been affected by restrictions at airports in Saudi Arabia, with 141 flights disrupted in total. Of them, 66 are direct flights and 75 are transit flights. The disruption has so far caused suffering for 21,933 passengers — a large share of them travellers from Bangladesh heading to Saudi Arabia or travelling onward via Saudi Arabia.

The figures come from the latest information provided by Squadron Leader Sakib Chowdhury of the Flight Management Division of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB). His update is so far the most complete official picture of the disruption.

Among the affected direct flights, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has the most — 27 flights. Saudia has 19 affected direct flights, US-Bangla Airlines 10 and Riyadh Air 10. In other words, the two Bangladeshi carriers together account for 37 direct flights caught up in the restrictions.

Among the affected transit flights, IndiGo has the most with 29, followed by Emirates with 14, Qatar Airways with 9, flydubai with 8, SalamAir with 7, Air India with 7 and EgyptAir with 1. With transit flights disrupted, passengers travelling via Saudi Arabia or Gulf hubs are also facing trouble catching their connecting flights.

The disruption in flight movement at Saudi airports is mainly due to operational restrictions, according to the report. Because of these restrictions, many flights cannot operate on their scheduled timings or have had to change schedules.

As a result, passengers are having to change their travel schedules and their suffering is increasing. For those who had planned around work, treatment, study or a fixed connecting flight time, the schedule changes affect their entire plan.

In this situation, passengers are being advised to contact their respective airlines and travel only after confirming the latest flight schedule. In other words, checking the updated status of one's own flight before leaving for the airport is now the most important precaution.

As Saudi Arabia is one of Bangladesh's largest labour markets and travel destinations, flight disruption there affects Bangladeshi passengers directly. The presence of 37 flights of Biman and US-Bangla combined in the direct flight list shows the Bangladeshi share of this disruption is significant.

In numerical terms, suffering for 21,933 passengers makes this a large-scale flight disruption. With both direct and transit flights among the 141 affected, the problem is not limited to a single route; it has spread across multiple airlines and destinations.

The airline-by-airline figures show this is not one company's problem but the result of airport-based operational restrictions — because flights of at least 11 airlines, including Biman, Saudia, Emirates and Qatar Airways, have been affected.

For passengers, the most important thing now is to keep an eye on the latest announcements from their airlines. As advised, it is better not to set off for the airport without contacting the airline and confirming the flight time first.

The latest CAAB information does not mention any timeframe for how long the restrictions will remain or when flight schedules will fully return to normal. In the coming days, Saudi-bound passengers will therefore have to rely on verifying the updated information for their own flights before travelling.