Massive fire breaks out at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh; flights resume after six hours

A massive fire broke out yesterday, Saturday, October 18 at the cargo terminal of Hazrat Shahjala International Airport, the main air gateway of the Bangladeshi capital, leading to the complete suspension of flight operations for more than six hours.

According to airport officials, the incident began at around 2:30 p.m. local time in the Cargo Village near Gate 8, where imported goods are stored.

Dhaka Airport official Masood Hassan said all aircraft on the ground were safe and no casualties had been reported.

Following the incident, all domestic and international flights were grounded and at least nine incoming flights were diverted, including IndiGo flights from Delhi to Kolkata and Air Arabia flights from Sharjah to Chittagong.

The remaining flights were diverted to Shah Amanat Airport in Chittagong and Osmani Airport in Sylhet, and flight operations resumed around 9 pm