Biman flight returns from Rome after 40hrs of passengers' woes 

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, which was stranded at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport with 259 passengers for nearly 40 hours due to a technical glitch, finally flew in safely to Dhaka on Sunday. 

Flight BG-306 touched down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 12:30pm on Sunday (August 9), bringing an end to the passengers’ prolonged suffering. 

Biman Bangladesh Airlines General Manager (Public Relations) Bosra Islam confirmed the development, saying the flight departed Rome at 11pm local time on Saturday and arrived in Dhaka safely on Sunday.

The flight was operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. BG-306 had departed Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada on Thursday afternoon with more than 250 passengers bound for Dhaka. After around eight hours of flying, the aircraft made a technical landing at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci�"Fiumicino Airport for refuelling.

However, a technical fault was detected during the stopover, preventing the aircraft from continuing its journey. After several hours of unsuccessful attempts to resolve the problem, the aircraft was grounded and passengers were asked to disembark.

The prolonged disruption caused severe hardship for many passengers, particularly Bangladeshis who were unable to leave the airport because they did not have the visas required to enter Italy. Although arrangements were made for passengers to stay in a lounge, there was reportedly insufficient space for everyone. Some passengers were forced to spend the night on chairs and floors inside the terminal.

Passengers also complained of delays in receiving food and difficulty accessing essential medicines and other belongings kept in checked baggage. Some elderly and diabetic passengers reportedly faced problems obtaining medicines and insulin on time, while children were also affected by the prolonged wait.

Dr Md Ziaur Rahman, a teacher of the Music Department at the University of Dhaka, who was among the passengers, earlier described the situation as extremely difficult. He said many passengers had remained inside the airport for hours, with some having to sleep on lounge chairs and floors.

Another passenger, Independent University Bangladesh senior lecturer Md Abu Saeed, said passengers had remained inside the aircraft for several hours while airline officials repeatedly informed them about efforts to resolve the technical problem. Elderly passengers and children reportedly became unwell during the prolonged wait.

Former Bangladesh cricketer Syed Halim Shah and his son, national footballer Syed Kazem Shah, were also on the flight. Halim said passengers had spent several hours inside the aircraft amid high temperatures in Rome.