Staff Reporter:
Flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were suspended on Saturday afternoon, fol-lowing a fire in its cargo village area, causing significant disruption to both international and domestic flights.
According to airport sources, the fire broke out around 2:30 pm in a section of the cargo village used for storing imported goods.
In response, all takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted.
Due to the suspension, several incoming flights to Dhaka were diverted as a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Bangkok landed in Chattogram, while an IndiGo flight from Delhi was diverted to Kolkata.
An Air Arabia flight from Sharjah also landed in Chattogram, and a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong was forced to circle in the air.
Meanwhile, Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ flight from Saidpur to Dhaka landed in Chattogram instead and a US-Bangla flight from Chattogram to Dhaka returned to its departure airport after takeoff.
Two departing flights, Batik Air’s OD-163 to Kuala Lumpur and IndiGo’s 6E-1116 to Mumbai — were seen waiting on the taxiway when the fire began.
Airport spokesperson Md Masudul Hasan Masud said the fire originated in a section adjacent to the main cargo area. Army and Air Force teams have joined the Fire Service in an effort to bring the fire under control fast.
The Fire Service and Civil Defence deployed 37 units of 13 stations, officials said.
The cause of the fire and the extent of damage have not yet been ascertained.
