38 flights delayed due to road blockade by quota protesters
At least 38 flights on domestic and international routes were delayed today (16 July) due to passengers being stranded in traffic as anti-quota protesters blocked different city roads, according to airport sources.
Students from different private universities including Northern, AIUB, North South, and BRAC universities blocked major roads, including Uttara, Kuril Bishwa Road, Nadda, and Badda, causing massive traffic congestion.
Due to the traffic congestion, hundreds of passengers could not reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for their flights.
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Biman Bangladesh Airlines was forced to delay two flights, while US-Bangla Airlines and Air Astra took special arrangements for affected passengers.
Boshra Islam, general manager (public relations) of Biman, said, "Many people could not reach the airport due to traffic congestion, causing Biman's Dhaka-Dammam flight at 3:00pm to take off 30 minutes late. Additionally, the Dhaka-Jeddah flight scheduled for 2:05pm was delayed by a few hours."
US-Bangla Airlines officials reported minor delays in their flights, with 15-20% of passengers missing their flights.
However, they managed to avoid cancellations, the airlines sources said.
Air Astra stated that 10-15% of their passengers missed their flights. Alternative flights have been arranged for those passengers at no additional cost.
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain Kamrul Islam confirmed that morning traffic disruptions caused by road blockades had impacted passenger arrival to the airport.
He stated that authorities, including the Airport Police Battalion, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Traffic Division, and Aviation Security, were working to facilitate the transportation of foreign passengers to the airport.
"Kawla Road has reopened and is currently being used for airport access," he added.
Meanwhile, the airport authority has dismissed rumors circulating on social media about the airport being closed, emphasising its 24-hour operations and commitment to passenger safety.
