Dubai-Dhaka flight: 251 passengers stranded for over 10 hours due to technical issues

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, originally scheduled to depart from Dubai at 12:05am (local time) on Sunday, experienced a technical issue, that caused the aircraft to be grounded. The problem was detected after all passengers had boarded the flight, just moments before it was scheduled to take off.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Shakia Sultana, the regional manager for Dubai and Northern Emirates at Biman Bangladesh Airlines, said, "Flight BG348 was scheduled to fly out from Dubai International Airport to Dhaka at 12:05 am with 251 passengers and ten crew members. But due to some technical problem, the aircraft has been grounded."

Without providing specific details about the technical glitch, she said the engineers immediately attempted to resolve the problem. At 2 am, they officially declared an 'Air on Ground' (AOG) situation. "There's a 'part' that needs to be replaced to rectify the issue, and it is being transported from Dhaka," she added.

The 251 passengers were escorted to the airport lounge, where they were provided with breakfast and later offered refreshments at around 11am. Shakia said, "After 12 pm, when the issue was not resolved, 101 passengers were provided accommodations with food in hotels near the airport."

Some passengers opted to take an Emirates flight to Dhaka, while a few decided to cancel their travel plans. Currently, there are still a handful of passengers at the airport who hold visit, cancelled, or transit visas.

Shakia stated that passengers who have cancelled their tickets have the option to either reschedule their flights or request a refund from the airline.

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