Passenger ‘Dies Mid-Flight’: Biman does not land, carries on for 9 hours

A Biman passenger fell ill and died two and a half hours into a flight to London from Sylhet on Monday but the plane did not make an emergency landing and flew for nine more hours to the UK.

"After the passenger was presumed to be dead, the purser took his body out of his seat and laid him on an empty row of seats," said pilot-in-command Capt Fazal Mahmud.

British citizen Shuaibur Rahman Chowdhury initially fell ill and then passed away, according to the flight log obtained by this paper.

The plane reached Heathrow 11 hours 37 minutes after taking off from Osmani International Airport.

According to protocol, the moment a passenger has a medical emergency, the plane should send out an SOS declaring a medical emergency and prepare to land at the nearest airport possible.

All airports are equipped to handle medical emergencies, a process in which the nearest hospitals are alerted and ambulances and paramedics are kept on standby, according to sources in Biman.

Asked why the pilot did not land at the nearest airport, the pilot said, "My aim was to save him, not organise a funeral. He was already presumed dead."

There was no doctor on board to declare him dead, said the pilot, who was relying on the flight purser.

The flight purser is not a trained medical professional. He is only trained in giving first aid.

According to the flight log, the plane took off on November 12, 2023, at 4:16am GMT/UTC, approximately 10:15am Bangladesh time.

The log states, "Cabin chief flight purser at approximately 6:55 UTC informed me about a passenger [who] became sick and [was] given first aid with oxygen, later cabin chief flight purser informed that passenger is presumed dead."

The purser told Fazal that the passenger was presumed dead approximately at 7:25am GMT.

According to the flight log, the plane landed at Heathrow at 4:16pm GMT.

Biman country head in London Irteza Kamal Chowdhury said Biman was yet to investigate the matter.

"We just know that the plane landed with a dead passenger. The authorities of Heathrow International Airport took over as soon as the plane landed and interviewed all concerned. The police and medical professionals responded. We are waiting for a written report," said Irteza.

The plane had to wait for two and a half hours at Heathrow before the passengers were allowed to disembark, he said.

The deceased was taken to a nearby hospital for confirmation of his passing.