182 passengers suffer five-hour ordeal trapped on flight at Dhaka airport

A total of 182 passengers endured a harrowing experience after being stranded inside a Fit Air flight (8D 0912) at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for nearly five and a half hours on July 11. The Dhaka-Colombo flight was scheduled to depart at 2:15 am but only took off around 7:45 am due to a technical fault.

Passengers reported that many fell ill during the ordeal due to the lack of adequate food or assistance. Some also alleged mistreatment by airline staff.

Colombo-bound passenger Sonia Rifaat, co-founder of the women's tour group 'Go Girls', told the media that chaos began at check-in. While passengers were informed of a technical fault after boarding, they were not allowed to deplane. She said she suffered from severe breathing difficulties but was not permitted to leave the aircraft.

No food was provided until 7:30 am, causing particular hardship for children and the elderly. Passengers who requested to cancel their journey were reportedly mistreated. Sonia later had to be hospitalised in Colombo, and her group has decided not to use Fit Air again.

Another passenger, Mehrin Rahman, on her first solo trip, left the aircraft midway and did not continue to Colombo. She claimed even diabetic passengers did not receive food on time.

Fit Air representative Rana claimed the flight was delayed by only 45 minutes, attributing the rest to runway repairs, adverse weather and logistical issues. However, photos taken by passengers showed an actual delay of around five and a half hours.

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director Group Captain S M Ragib Samad confirmed that the aircraft landed 45 minutes late, and engineers later detected a hydraulic fluid leakage just before take-off, rendering it temporarily unfit for departure. He said light snacks were arranged around 6:00 am.