Mohammad Likhon came to Shahjalal International Airport knowing his flight had been cancelled. But with his visa for Saudi Arabia nearing expiry and his leave running out, staying home was hardly an option.
The worker from Kushtia was due to fly to Riyadh on a Saudia flight late Monday.
Instead, he stood beneath the terminal canopy, making calls and searching for a way back to his job.
Likhon had paid 2,350 Saudi riyals, around Tk 77,000, for a return economy ticket between Riyadh and Dhaka.
His Saudi travel agent now said only a few business-class seats remained. An alternative route through Jeddah would cost about Tk 125,000 one way.
“My kafeel [sponsor] has contacted me. He told me to buy a business-class ticket on another flight, but business-class tickets cost a lot,” he said, referring to his employer.
His leave was due to end on Oct 15. “I have already bought my ticket. Now my kafeel says I should travel business class, but he won’t pay that money either.”
Likhon is among thousands of Bangladeshi workers caught in the disruption caused by Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Many returned to Bangladesh on leave and are now struggling to get back to their workplaces, some with visas close to expiry and others unsure whether their employers will grant them more time.
Even after learning that flights were cancelled, several passengers arrived at the airport on Monday, hoping to find alternatives.
Rabiul Mia travelled by train from Brahmanbaria after hearing that flights from Dhaka to Dubai were operating.
His flydubai itinerary included a stop in Dubai before continuing to Riyadh, but the connecting flight had been cancelled.
“I heard flydubai was operating, but they told me they wouldn’t let me fly. That’s why I came straight to the airport to understand what was happening,” he said.
A travel agent explained that the Dhaka-Dubai service was running, but the Dubai-Riyadh leg was not.
Rabiul said his employer would not extend his leave, yet had told him to wait and see. With his job dependent on the employer’s decision, he was left waiting for clear instructions.
A woman who asked not to be named faced a similar problem. Her ticket to Jeddah via Dubai was cancelled after the connecting flight was called off.
Hearing that a Dhaka-Jeddah flight had departed on Monday afternoon, she went to the airport herself.
“I don’t mind going two days later, but I don’t want to pay extra. If they don’t change my ticket, I’ll suffer a huge loss. I won’t leave Dhaka; I’ll stay at my brother’s home in the cantonment,” she said.
Riyadh Shutdown Disrupts Travel
The uncertainty stems from the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport following a Houthi attack on Saturday.
Medina’s airport remains operational, while flights at Jeddah resumed on Monday after a temporary suspension on Sunday. Services at Dammam were also disrupted, though some flights continued.
Airport data show airlines have announced 51 cancellations on routes between Dhaka and Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah from Saturday through Oct 15, leaving 5,418 passengers stranded in Bangladesh.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines serves four Saudi destinations and continues flying to all except Riyadh. US-Bangla Airlines, which operates only to Riyadh, has suspended its services there.
On Monday evening, Biman said its Riyadh flights would remain suspended until Oct 17.
A Dhaka-based employee of a Saudi airline said carriers were trying to reroute Riyadh-bound passengers through other Saudi airports, allowing them to continue by road. But changing tickets can bring a steep additional cost.
Airlines Seek Alternatives
At a news conference in the Secretariat on Monday, Civil Aviation Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat said Biman was working to accommodate Riyadh-bound passengers on flights to the other three airports.
Biman Managing Director and CEO Kaiser Sohail Ahmed said the airline would try to arrange onward travel through Dammam or Medina without extra charge, subject to seat availability, for passengers who contacted it.
He said Saudi authorities had not provided a firm reopening date for Riyadh airport, instead announcing closures in short intervals.
That uncertainty made international flight planning difficult, but Biman was trying to help passengers reach Saudi Arabia through other destinations, particularly those facing work-permit problems.
Millat said airlines had been instructed to minimise passenger hardship. He stressed that Riyadh’s closure affected international carriers, not just Biman, and that safety had to take priority.
“Are we going to push our passengers towards death, or try to protect them? We may face some inconvenience, but their safety is more important,” he said.
The minister added that efforts were being made to accommodate passengers with expiring visas or urgent needs on flights to Dammam and Medina, so they could return to their workplaces.
For workers like Likhon and Rabiul, however, the options remain costly and uncertain. Their journey back to work now depends not only on flights resuming, but also on affordable seats, available connections and decisions made by employers thousands of kilometres away.