Biman Flies 379 Passengers to Dammam Amid Attacks

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying 379 passengers departed Dhaka for Dammam on Thursday, despite security concerns following attacks on airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. The flight left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:00 am on 22 October 2026, even as successive cancellations disrupted services to the kingdom.

Shahnur Ahmed, spokesperson for Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ public relations department, confirmed the flight’s departure. He said the flight had left for Dammam at 8:00 am as previously announced.

Asked whether the flight had received permission to operate, he said, “It flew because permission had been granted. If permission had not been granted, it would not have flown.”

On Wednesday, 21 October, a Houthi attack at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, killed one person and injured eight others. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority disclosed the casualties in a statement.

Several of the injured were reported to be in critical condition. All were taken to hospital for treatment, according to Al Jazeera.

On the same day, Saudi air defence systems intercepted a drone targeting a facility at the Shaybah oil field operated by state-owned oil company Aramco. According to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy, two people were killed in the incident.

Attacks on Saudi airports have continued amid escalating conflict between Houthi fighters and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities reported that a missile strike at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 11 October killed one person and injured 11 others. The previous day, on 10 October, separate attacks at the same airport reportedly killed 12 people and injured more than 300, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.

The attacks have triggered cancellations of direct and transit flights from Dhaka to various destinations in Saudi Arabia. By Wednesday, 134 flights had been cancelled, leaving more than 20,000 passengers stranded.

Amid the disruptions, Biman Bangladesh Airlines announced revised schedules for several destinations in Saudi Arabia. In a statement sent to the media on Wednesday, the airline said conditions related to attacks on Saudi airports were gradually improving.

As part of the revised schedule, a flight to Riyadh is planned for 25 October. It will depart Dhaka at 1:25 am Bangladesh time on the night spanning 24 and 25 October. Biman said further decisions on other Riyadh-bound flights would be made after monitoring and reviewing the situation.

Flights on the Dammam route resumed on 21 October. Until 26 October, flights will depart Dhaka for Dammam daily at 8:00 am Bangladesh time. Boeing 777 aircraft will be used on these services.

Two flights will operate from Dhaka to Jeddah on Thursday, 22 October. In addition, one flight will depart for Jeddah at 7:20 pm Bangladesh time each day on 23, 24 and 25 October.

Meanwhile, flights to Madinah have been operating regularly since 18 October. Boeing 787 aircraft are being used on this route. Biman said operations and schedules for Madinah would remain unchanged until further notice.
//DBTech/BNNR/SME/FOED//