Rome layover turns ordeal for Biman passengers

Passengers of a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Toronto to Dhaka have been left stranded in Rome after a technical fault forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing there.

The airline said on Saturday that an engineering team and spare parts were being sent from Dhaka to repair the aircraft, while passengers complained of hardship during the wait.

The passengers were travelling on flight BG-306, which was forced to remain at Rome's Fiumicino Airport after developing a technical glitch.

Passengers alleged that Biman had arranged hotel accommodation only for those holding Canadian and US passports, while the rest were kept at a lounge called Prima Vista.

Some passengers also said they felt unwell.

Mohammad Abu Sayed, a senior lecturer in computer science at Independent University, Bangladesh, who was among those waiting at the lounge, said the flight had left Toronto on Friday and stopped in Rome around 7:30am the following day.

Passengers were kept inside the aircraft for about eight hours over technical problems, he said. There were many elderly people, children and sick passengers on board, several of whom fell ill.

After the airline contacted Bangladesh, passengers were allowed to leave the aircraft and enter the airport.�"bdnews24