More than 50 flights were diverted from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the past week due to dense winter fog and the suspension of Category Two landing operations, civil aviation authorities confirmed.

Between January 2-4 alone, over 20 flights had to land at alternative airports including Chattogram, Sylhet and Kolkata. Diversions have caused severe disruption for passengers and imposed substantial financial losses on airlines during one of the busiest travel periods.

Airport's Category Two status, which allowed safe landings in visibility as low as 200 meters, was suspended in October last year after a Thai Airways aircraft damaged the runway lighting system. Incident occurred just three months after the facility was upgraded from Category One to Category Two in last year’s July.

Damage reduced the Instrument Landing System operational efficiency to between 84%-87%. System requires at least 95% functionality to maintain Category Two operations, forcing authorities to revert to the previous Category One standard.

Air Commodore Md. Nur-e-Alam, Member (Air Traffic Management), Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh said, "Due to this damage, the serviceability of the runway lights is now between 84%-87%. Pilots trying to land using the ILS cannot rely on the system unless 95% of the lights are functional. That is why the Category Two status is currently suspended."

Passengers face extended journeys and substantial waiting times at alternative airports. They described the ordeal, "We were supposed to depart Friday night at 9:25 pm, but the flight landed Saturday at 7 am. Later, it was scheduled for 11 pm the next day, then 6 am today. While landing in Kolkata, we had to wait six hours."

Diverted passengers reported insufficient trolley service at Kolkata airport. With large numbers of Hajj pilgrims among those affected, some waited hours to retrieve luggage after eight to ten-hour total journeys.

Boshra Islam, General Manager, Public Relations Department, Biman Bangladesh Airlines told media, Airlines bear additional costs including extra landing fees, increased fuel consumption and expenses for accommodating passengers and crew in hotels. Operational losses have risen sharply across the aviation sector.

Winter fog routinely shrouds the runway after midnight, causing planes to circle above Dhaka or land elsewhere. Before July's upgrade, this was considered normal. However, passengers expected improvements after Category Two certification.

Repairing the damaged lighting system requires special custom orders from abroad. Civil aviation authorities estimate that restoring full Category Two functionality will take approximately three more months. Authorities have issued a warning to Thai Airways and are assessing financial losses before finalizing compensation.

With Category Two ILS suspended, safe landings at runway 14 remain challenging during dense fog. Winter disruptions have become a familiar pattern despite the airport possessing technical capacity for improved operations.