Technical glitch delays Biman flight to London for four hours

The aircraft was eventually replaced before the passengers could set off

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to London via Sylhet has been delayed for several hours in the capital due to a technical fault.

The aircraft was eventually changed and the flight departed Dhaka four hours behind schedule on Friday.

A passenger on that flight, who asked not to be identified, said that after taking off, the aircraft's landing gear did not fold properly, forcing the flight to return to the Shahjalal Airport in Dhaka. The airline then kept the passengers seated for a long time before they were instructed to disembark and put on board another Biman aircraft.

Other passengers complained that they were put on a relatively old aircraft, which could not accommodate all of those who were scheduled to depart on the flight.

Eventually the flight, scheduled for 10am, departed around 1:45pm, the passenger said.

A Biman official on duty said, “There was some delay due to a technical glitch. There were some high-profile passengers on the flight. Some of them made a bit of a fuss.”

However, claiming that no passengers were left behind in Dhaka, they said: “Such technical glitches are very normal in airline operations. It can happen.”

Biman’s public relations department did not pick up the phone when attempts were made to contact them for an official statement on the matter. Biman’s general manager of public relations, Bosra Islam, did not respond to several calls.