Staff Reporter:
A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying 256 passengers from Toronto, Canada, to Dhaka has made an emergency landing at Rome’s Fiumicino airport in Italy due to a technical problem.
It has since been grounded, leaving the passengers stranded for hours.
A passenger said the travellers were kept on board for nearly eight hours before they began being taken to a hotel around 8:30pm (Bangladesh time) on Friday.
An official of the national flag carrier said the aircraft underwent a technical inspection after landing at the airport. It was subsequently grounded due to the mechanical fault and could not resume its journey.
According to Biman sources, engineers and necessary spare parts are being sent from Dhaka to Rome to repair the aircraft. The engineers will conduct a technical inspection and carry out the necessary repairs there.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines is making arrangements for food and accommodation for the stranded passengers and is also working on possible alternative flights.
However, it is not yet clear when the aircraft will be repaired and able to depart for Dhaka.
Meanwhile, another Biman flight is scheduled to depart Dhaka for Toronto at 1am on Saturday, instead of its originally scheduled departure time of 2:20am. Passengers on that flight have been asked to arrive at the airport by 9pm Friday.
