Biman flight grounded in Rome after technical fault

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Toronto to Dhaka got grounded at Rome's Fiumicino Airport after making an emergency landing due to a technical fault on Friday, leaving 256 passengers stranded for hours.

Passengers remained on board the aircraft for around eight hours before they were finally allowed to disembark and transferred to hotels, according to a passenger.

A Biman official said the aircraft underwent a technical inspection after landing in Rome, where engineers detected a mechanical fault. The aircraft was subsequently declared unfit to fly until repairs are completed.

To restore the aircraft to service, Biman has arranged to send a team of engineers and the required spare parts from Dhaka to Rome. The engineers will carry out a detailed inspection and repair work before the aircraft is cleared for departure.

One stranded passenger said travellers had been confined inside the aircraft for several hours before being taken to nearby hotels at around 8:30pm Bangladesh time.

The passenger also alleged that despite the aircraft belonging to Biman, the airport authorities did not provide the level of assistance passengers had expected following the incident. As a result, Biman decided to dispatch its own engineers and spare parts from Dhaka to resolve the problem.

Meanwhile, the state carrier in a statement said they had already arranged accommodation and food for the affected passengers while also assessing alternative travel options where necessary.

However, Biman has not yet confirmed when the aircraft would be repaired and resume its journey to Dhaka.

The disruption also affected the airline's Toronto operations. Another Biman flight from Dhaka to Toronto was scheduled to depart at 1:00am, revised from its original departure time of 2:20am. Passengers travelling on that flight were asked to report to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by 9:00pm.