Flights from Dhaka to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah are being cancelled one after another following Houthi attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia. Airlines have announced the cancellation of a total of 51 flights on these three routes from Saturday through October 15.

Squadron Leader Sakib, an official responsible for security and flight management at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, disclosed the information on Monday (October 12) afternoon.

He said 5,418 passengers had been stranded in Bangladesh due to the flight cancellations.

Of the cancelled flights, 12 were direct flights. These included four operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, two by US-Bangla Airlines, three by Saudia Airlines and three by Riyadh Airways.

Another 39 connecting flights were disrupted. These included 16 flights operated by IndiGo Airlines, three by SalamAir, one by EgyptAir, nine by Emirates, five by Qatar Airways and five by flydubai.

Earlier, on Saturday, a missile exploded over Terminal 3 of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The incident reportedly killed 13 people, including two Bangladeshis, and injured 308 others.

Among the other fatalities were four Saudi nationals and one citizen each from India, the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.