Flights resume at Dhaka airport after operations halted due to fire

DHAKA, Oct 19 — Flight operations at Bangladesh’s main airport in Dhaka have resumed, six hours after a fire in the cargo section forced all flights to be suspended, airport officials confirmed.

The first flight took off at 9.06pm (1506 GMT), according to officials. The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism said in a statement that the fire had been fully extinguished.

“An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire, and steps will be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the ministry said.

Operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were halted after the fire broke out in its cargo area. Around 37 firefighting units were deployed to contain the blaze, assisted by the army, navy, and air force.

Kabir Ahmed, president of the International Air Express Association of Bangladesh, said it was too early to determine the exact extent of losses but estimated that the total direct and indirect impact on imports and exports could exceed US$1 billion (RM4.23 billion).

Both domestic and international flights were affected, with an IndiGo flight from Delhi diverted to Kolkata and an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah rerouted to Chittagong, about 250km southeast of Dhaka.

This incident marks the third major fire in Bangladesh this week. On Tuesday, a blaze at a garment factory and nearby chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people, while another fire on Thursday destroyed a seven-storey garment factory building in an export processing zone in Chittagong.

The interim government said all recent fires are under thorough investigation, with security forces mobilised to safeguard lives and property. It added that any evidence of sabotage or arson will prompt swift and decisive action, stressing that no criminal act or provocation will be allowed to disrupt public safety or the political process. — Reuters