Flights have resumed at Bangladesh’s main airport in Dhaka, airport officials said, six hours after a fire in the cargo section delayed flights and halted operations on Saturday.
The first flight took off at 9:06 p.m., officials told reporters.
The fire has been completely controlled, as reported in a statement by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
“Measures will be taken to identify the origin of the fire and implement measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the ministry added.
Operations at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were suspended after the fire broke out in the cargo section of the airport, with around 37 firefighting units working to douse the flames.
The army, navy and air force also joined firefighters in efforts to control the fire.
Kabir Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh International Air Express Association, said it was too early to estimate exact losses, but the overall impact – direct and indirect – on imports and exports could exceed $1 billion.
Both domestic and international flights were affected.
An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Dhaka was diverted to Kolkata, and an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates was directed to Chittagong, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Dhaka.
This is the third major fire reported in Bangladesh this week. A fire on Tuesday at a garment factory and an adjacent chemical warehouse in Dhaka killed at least 16 people and injured others. On Thursday, another fire burned down a seven-story textile factory building in an export processing zone in Chittagong.
The interim government said all recent fires in the country are under thorough investigation and security forces are working to protect lives and property.
He said any evidence of sabotage or arson would receive a swift and decisive response and that no criminal act or provocation that disrupted public life or the political process would be permitted.
