Flights at Dhaka's main airport were halted Tuesday after employees of Bangladesh's state-run airline went on an indefinite strike to improve working conditions, officials said.
Several thousand passengers, both inbound and outbound, were stranded at Shahjalal International Airport after the strike of Biman Bangladesh Airlines employees began at 6 am (0000 GMT).
Some early flights landed on time, said Monirul Islam, an on-duty officer at the airport control tower.
Workers at the state-run airline are also responsible for ground-handling operations for all of the airlines operating from Dhaka, and the inbound passengers also became stranded because the
loading and unloading of planes was suspended.
Passengers said they had no idea when they would be able to leave.
"It is not yet clear when the plane will depart as we have had no announcement from the authorities concerned," said Shalim Rahman, an Emirates airline passenger who had been waiting for hours at the airport as he tried to fly to London.
The striking employees demonstrated in front of Biman headquarters near the airport while Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan met with the leaders of a collective-bargaining effort to resolve the stalemate.
The protesters said the strike would continue until their demands are met, including raising their allowances for meals, uniforms and medical care and offering part-time workers full-time positions.
Shahjalal International Airport operates about 80 international flights per day.