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Continuous rainfall and poor weather conditions severely disrupted flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on Sunday, forcing two international flights to divert to Sylhet and Kolkata while delaying more than 50 domestic and international arrivals and departures.
According to airport sources, a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dubai to Dhaka was diverted to Osmani International Airport in Sylhet after it was unable to land in the capital due to adverse weather.
A China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou was also forced to divert, landing at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata for the same reason.
The bad weather also affected dozens of other flights, with aircraft either circling over Dhaka before landing or departing behind schedule.
Among the affected services were Etihad Airways flights from Abu Dhabi, Air Arabia from Sharjah, Emirates and Flydubai flights from Dubai, Malaysia Airlines from Kuala Lumpur, several Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights from Madinah and Saidpur, and US-Bangla Airlines services from Jeddah and Chattogram.
Airport officials said heavy overnight rain, reduced visibility and gusty winds created unsafe conditions for aircraft operations, forcing air traffic controllers to delay landings and take-offs and divert some flights to alternate airports.
They said the measures were taken to ensure passenger safety.
The disruption to inbound international flights also affected the airport’s overall schedule, causing a ripple effect across both domestic and international operations throughout the day.
Hundreds of passengers were left waiting at the airport as flights arrived and departed several hours behind schedule, leading to long queues and overcrowding in different terminals.
Airport authorities advised passengers to remain in contact with their respective airlines for the latest updates on flight schedules as weather conditions continued to affect operations.