Biman flight departs for Dammam amid fresh attacks

Dhaka: A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying 379 passengers departed for Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on October 22, despite recent Houthi attacks on the kingdom's airports.

Flight BG349 left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:21 am.

Shahnur Ahmed, spokesperson for Biman's Public Relations Department, confirmed the flight departed as scheduled. He said it operated only because permission had been granted and would not have taken off without authorization.

On October 21, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed a Houthi attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed one person and injured eight others, with injuries ranging from minor to serious.

Earlier that day, Saudi air defense systems intercepted a drone targeting a facility at Aramco's Shaybah oil field, an incident that left two people dead, according to Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy.

The latest strikes come amid escalating hostilities between Houthi rebels and Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, with Saudi airports facing repeated attacks in recent days.

These attacks have triggered cancellations of direct and transit flights from Dhaka, with 134 flights cancelled as of October 21 and more than 20,000 passengers left stranded.

Biman said in a statement on October 21 that it would operate a flight to Riyadh on October 25, citing continued improvement in the situation.

The flight is scheduled to depart Dhaka at 1:25 am Bangladesh time on October 26. Decisions on further Riyadh-bound flights will follow continued monitoring.

Biman resumed Dammam-bound service on October 21, with flights departing Dhaka daily at 8:00 am Bangladesh time through October 26, operated using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

For Jeddah, the airline scheduled two flights from Dhaka on October 22, with additional flights departing daily at 7:20 pm Bangladesh time on October 23, 24, and 25.

Flights to Medina, operated with Boeing 787 aircraft, have continued as usual since October 18, and their schedule remains unchanged until further notice.

Biman said it would provide further updates on operations for the affected routes in due course. Passengers have been advised to contact their nearest sales office for ticketing and booking information.