Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 180 passengers stranded in Dubai for 46 hours

Around 180 passengers of a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight have been stranded in Dubai for nearly two days since Tuesday night, after their scheduled aircraft developed a technical fault.

They remained stranded as of filing this report yesterday.

To bring them back, a scheduled flight [Boeing 777] went to Dubai at 5:00pm yesterday, which was supposed to leave for Dhaka around midnight local time, said Biman's General Manager (Public Relations) Boshra Islam while talking to The Daily Star.

The passengers were originally due to depart Dubai on a Boeing 787 late Tuesday night. But the aircraft could not take off due to technical issues, Boshra confirmed. They were later accommodated in different hotels in the city.

Biman sent replacement parts on Wednesday, but repairs failed. Passengers were told the flight would resume on Wednesday night and were picked up from hotels at 9:00pm, only for the departure to be cancelled again after multiple reschedulings.

The incident comes amid growing concerns about Biman's fleet.

At least 10 aircraft have suffered technical glitches in the past two months -- from burst wheels to excessive engine vibration and rising cabin temperature.

Civil Aviation Adviser SK Bashiruddin on Wednesday directed officials to prioritise resolving the airline's technical failures. "Technical faults in Biman are directly linked to the safety of people's lives. To uphold the airline's reputation, these issues must be addressed immediately, and the administration and engineering departments must act responsibly," he said.