Major fire breaks out at Dhaka airport, flight operations suspended

There were no immediate reports of casualties; units from the Bangladesh Fire Service, Civil Aviation Authority, the Bangladesh Air Force and the Navy were jointly battling the fire

A major fire broke out at the cargo terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday afternoon, leading to the suspension of all flight operations.

 

The blaze started around 2:30 pm in the airport’s cargo village, where imported goods are stored. Airport Executive Director Md Masudul Hasan Masud confirmed the incident around 3:45 pm and said emergency teams were working to bring the situation under control, according to local media reports.

 

VIDEO | Dhaka, Bangladesh: A fire broke out at a section of the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport this afternoon. More details awaited.#Dhaka #AirportFire #HazratShahjalal  (Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/flGkHso2xq

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 18, 2025

 

 

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said units from the Bangladesh Fire Service, Civil Aviation Authority, and the Bangladesh Air Force were jointly battling the fire. The Bangladesh Navy has also joined the operation, media outlet Prothom Alo reported.

 

Authorities have suspended all flight operations from the airport while firefighting efforts continue. The cause of the fire and the extent of damage have not yet been determined.

 

"Landings and takeoffs of all aircraft have been suspended until further notice. All our aircraft are confirmed safe," a spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said.

  There were no immediate reports of casualties.

 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) said the blaze broke out in the afternoon at the airport, prompting the deployment of over two dozen firefighting units, with additional teams rushing to the scene.

 

“We received the information at 2:30 pm and immediately dispatched our units to join the ones deployed at the airport,” Fire Service spokesman Talha Bin Zasim said.

 

Thirty-six firefighting units are engaged in the operation, he said.

 

At least nine flights of different airlines scheduled to land in Dhaka were diverted to Shah Amanat International Airport in southeastern Chattogram and Osmani International Airport in northeastern Sylhet. Eight of them landed in Chattogram and one in Sylhet.

 

According to local media reports, chemicals stored in the cargo zone posed a major challenge for firefighters.

 

Eyewitnesses described the fire as a major one, with thick smoke covering a large part of the airport and surrounding areas.

 

This is the third major incident of fire in Bangladesh within a span of five days.

 

An eight-storey factory building at the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) was completely destroyed in a massive fire on Thursday. There were no casualties.

 

On Tuesday, 16 workers were killed and several others were injured in a fire that broke out at a four-storey garment factory and a chemical warehouse in Dhaka.

 

(With PTI inputs)