Biman Bangladesh Flight Diverts to Doha After Dammam Airport Temporarily Closes

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight bound for Dammam, Saudi Arabia, diverted mid-air and made an emergency landing in Doha, Qatar, amid concerns over a potential attack, after Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport was temporarily closed.

The incident occurred around midnight on Sunday, Bangladesh time.

In a statement, Biman Bangladesh Airlines said airport operations were normal when flight BG349 departed Dhaka for Dammam. However, King Fahd International Airport was subsequently temporarily closed, prompting the airline to divert the flight to ensure passenger safety and maintain safe flight operations.

The flight made an emergency landing at Doha airport at 2:27am Bangladesh time, the airline said.

After approximately three hours, Dammam airport reopened, allowing the flight to resume its journey. BG349 safely arrived in Dammam at 7:02am Bangladesh time.

Meanwhile, Biman’s return flight, BG350, departed Dammam for Dhaka at 9:30am Bangladesh time.

The flight was scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 2:30pm on Monday, October 12.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines said passenger safety and operational considerations remained its top priorities while responding to the evolving situation.

The national flag carrier also apologised to passengers for the unexpected delays caused by the incident.