A total of 86 flights from Dhaka to Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or suspended as of Wednesday following Houthi attacks on Saudi airports, affecting 13,490 passengers.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines and other carriers are offering ticket changes to help the affected reach alternative airports under government instructions, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
Expatriate workers whose visas are nearing expiry face particular uncertainty.
In a statement on Wednesday, CAAB said the cancellations and suspensions involved 36 direct flights and 50 connecting services.
Of the direct flights, 14 operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 10 by US-Bangla Airlines, seven by Riyadh Airways and five by Saudia had been cancelled or suspended.
Some airlines carry passengers to Saudi Arabia via stopovers in India and other West Asian countries.
Among the 50 cancelled connecting flights were 22 operated by IndiGo, 11 by Emirates, six by Qatar Airways, six by flydubai, four by SalamAir and one by EgyptAir.
Flights from Dhaka operate directly or through connecting services to four destinations in Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah and Jeddah.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been completely closed since the attacks, while flight operations at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam have also been disrupted, with numerous services cancelled or suspended.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has suspended all flights to the two airports until Saturday, Oct 17.
Services from Madinah, however, are operating normally. Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah is functioning as usual.
Flight operations at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah were disrupted to some extent at the beginning of the week, but aircraft are still taking off and landing there.
Following government instructions, airlines are arranging to carry passengers booked for Riyadh and Dammam to Madinah and Jeddah, subject to seat availability.
A Biman official said passengers whose visas were nearing expiry were being given priority for free ticket changes.
“Sometimes overbooking occurs to ensure that not a single Biman flight departs empty. There have even been instances of passengers being brought back after crossing immigration. However, they travel on the next flight,” the official said.
Airline officials said ticket changes were being made only when seats were available, as these routes already had existing bookings.