Bangladeshi migrant workers deserve a plan as Gulf airports come under fire

Bangladeshi migrant workers now face fewer routes to and from Saudi Arabia, and Dhaka owes them a clear plan.

This is an opinion column. Facts are sourced below.

On Sunday, 25 October, Biman Bangladesh Airlines extended its suspension of Dhaka-Dammam and Dhaka-Riyadh flights until 4 November. The airline cited attacks on Saudi airports.

What Bangladeshi migrant workers can do now

The facts explain the decision. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport closed on 10 October after repeated Houthi strikes. It reopened on 21 October to limited traffic, with only a few Saudi carriers flying. Lufthansa and Air France cancelled flights there through mid-November.

On 21 October, an attack on Dammam’s airport killed one Saudi resident and injured eight, according to the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. Nobody has claimed it. The Houthis acknowledged attacking Riyadh. They say Saudi Arabia uses it for military supplies.

Biman says emergency travellers can use Jeddah or Medina. It runs two daily Jeddah flights until 4 November and keeps regular Medina service with Boeing 787 aircraft. That is sensible. It is not enough.

A worker with a contract date does not just lose a flight. A late arrival can cost a job. A cancelled return can cost wages. Many pay recruiters before departure. Those costs do not pause when airspace closes.

So here is my proposal. The government should publish a simple notice in Bangla. It should say who rebooks tickets, who pays for extra travel, and who talks to employers. It should name a hotline. Recruiting agencies should be told not to penalise delays caused by the conflict.

Migrants send home money that supports families and the economy. They deserve the same urgency we give to businesses. We raised their treatment in our report on Bangladeshis executed in Makkah.

War is not the workers’ choice. The safety net should be ours.

Dhaka Tribune has the Biman notice.

Fact basis: Dhaka Tribune (25 October 2026) on Biman’s suspension; AP via ClickOnDetroit (21 October 2026) on the Riyadh and Dammam attacks; The Standard (26 October 2026).