Biman suspends Dammam, Riyadh flights amid security concerns

Representational image- Collected

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has suspended flights from Dhaka to Dammam scheduled for October 23, 24 and 25, hours after operating a flight to the Saudi city amid security concerns.

The suspension followed an attack at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Thursday night. Earlier that morning, a Biman flight carrying 379 passengers had departed Dhaka at 8:00am as scheduled, with the airline initially planning daily Dammam services through October 26 using Boeing 777 aircraft.

Biman has also suspended all flights from Dhaka to Riyadh until October 31 due to the ongoing airstrike situation and concerns over passenger safety. The airline said further decisions on suspended flights and revised schedules would be announced later.

Flights from Dhaka to Jeddah and Madinah will continue according to their existing schedules. Passengers travelling to or returning from Saudi Arabia may use Jeddah and Madinah international airports as alternatives, subject to seat availability. Biman has advised passengers to contact their nearest sales centre for ticketing and travel information.

The disruptions follow attacks on Saudi targets, including an incident at King Fahd International Airport on Wednesday that reportedly killed two people and injured eight others. Saudi air defences also intercepted a drone targeting a facility at the Shaybah oilfield operated by Saudi Aramco.

Biman had earlier announced plans to operate a Riyadh-bound flight departing Dhaka at 1:25am Bangladesh time on October 26, but the latest suspension means Riyadh services will remain halted until October 31. The airline said operations on affected routes would be reviewed as the security situation develops.

Meanwhile, 135 flights on affected routes from Dhaka had been cancelled since October 10, leaving 20,672 passengers stranded, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh data. Of these, 62 were direct flights and 73 were transit services.

Among the cancelled direct flights, 23 were operated by Biman, 10 by US-Bangla Airlines, 19 by Saudia and 10 by Riyadh Air. The cancelled transit flights included 28 operated by IndiGo, seven by SalamAir, one by EgyptAir, 14 by Emirates, nine by Qatar Airways, eight by Flydubai and six by Air India.