9 flights diverted to Chattogram, Sylhet after being unable to land in Dhaka

Following the fire at the Cargo Village of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, nine flights that were unable to land in Dhaka have so far been diverted to airports in Chattogram and Sylhet.

Of these, eight landed at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport and one at Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport.

Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, spokesperson for Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, told Prothom Alo on Saturday afternoon that among the eight flights diverted to Chattogram, two were domestic flights originally bound for Dhaka from Chattogram.

Of the remaining six, one was arriving from Bangkok and another from the Middle East. The other four were also international flights. All of these flights landed in Chattogram instead of Dhaka.

According to Talha Bin Jasim, an official from the Fire Service's media cell, the fire broke out at the Cargo Village near Gate 8 of Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that two fire units from the Bangladesh Air Force, along with the Fire Service and Civil Aviation Authority, were working to bring the fire under control. The Navy also joined the firefighting efforts, ISPR added.

Following the incident, authorities temporarily suspended all flight operations at the airport. As a result, aircraft en route to Dhaka’s Shahjalal Airport were diverted to Chattogram.

Meanwhile, at 3:31 PM on Saturday, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, landed at Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport.

Mohammad Hafiz Ahmed, Director of Sylhet Osmani International Airport, told Prothom Alo that Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-340 had departed from Riyadh with 396 passengers on board. However, as it was unable to land at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, it landed at Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport at 3:31 PM. Once the situation normalises, the aircraft is expected to depart from Sylhet for Dhaka.

According to airport sources, a Novoair flight from Dhaka landed at Sylhet Osmani International Airport at 3:12 PM with passengers. The flight was scheduled to depart for Dhaka at 3:30 PM, but it did not leave due to the fire at the Cargo Village. However, no other Dhaka-bound flights from Sylhet have been canceled.