Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) was forced to shut down all flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital from 12:15 am to 9:30 am yesterday due to dense fog resulting in delay of numbers of international and domestic flights, reports BSS.

"We resumed the flight operation for domestic flights at 9:30 am and international flights at 10:15 am this morning," CAAB spokesperson AKM Rezaul Karim told the news agency.

He said the fog was too heavy for flight operation after midnight. "The flight operation has been started just after the fog getting thin," he added.  During the period, six passenger flights and one cargo aircraft were diverted into other airports including Kolkata and Chittagong.  Karim said a Thai Airlines flight was compelled to return to Bangkok after failing to land at HSIA at 12:40 am while a Saudi Airlines flight scheduled to land at the airport at 12:55am was diverted into Kolkata.

A Unitop cargo aircraft from China was diverted away Myanmar around 12:50am. A Gulf Air flight was diverted to Kolkata around 4am and a US-Bangla Flight was diverted to Chittagong, he added.

Besides, departing flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, China Southern, Emirates, Malindo Air, Qatar Airways and Air Asia were stuck at HSIA due to the fog. Those flights were departed after 10:15 am, Karim said.  Apart from international flights, one Biman Bangladesh Airlines, four Novo Air and three Us-Bangla Airlines domestic flights were delayed due to the heavy fog.

As per the weather forecast, moderate to thick fog may occur over the country during mid night till today morning and it may continue till noon.