Cargo Fire at Dhaka Airport Causes Flight Delays and Diversions

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A passenger airplane remains parked on the runway amid rising smoke from a fire that erupted in its cargo hold at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 18, 2025. — Reuters

– “All aircraft are confirmed safe,” states airport official Masudul Hasan.
– The fire has caused interruptions to both domestic and international flights.
– The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time.

Flights departing from Bangladesh’s primary airport experienced delays and diversions Saturday after a significant blaze occurred in the cargo terminal, officials reported. Thirty-six firefighting units are currently battling the flames, according to Talha Bin Zasim, a Fire Service and Civil Defence spokesperson for Reuters.

Operations at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have been halted, with Masudul Hasan, an airport official, confirming all aircraft are safe. The origin of the fire is still under investigation.

Both local and international flights faced disruptions. An IndiGo flight from Delhi was rerouted to Kolkata, and an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah, UAE, was redirected to Chittagong. Meanwhile, a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong was observed circling without landing, awaiting clearance.

The rescue efforts include the army, navy, and air force alongside fire services, all working to contain the blaze.

This incident marks the third major fire in Bangladesh this week. Earlier, on Tuesday, a fire at a garment factory and a nearby chemical warehouse in Bangladesh resulted in at least 16 fatalities and multiple injuries. On Thursday, another fire destroyed a garment factory building in an export processing zone in Chittagong.