2 Bangladeshis stranded at Bali airport for 55 hours

Two Bangladeshi students bound for Sydney from Australia have reportedly been stranded at Bali International Airport in Indonesia for the past 55 hours due to 'extreme mismanagement and irresponsibility of Batik Air (formerly Malindo Air).'

According to media reports, the students could not attend an important orientation class in their academic career due to the late.

The affected students are--Adnan Al Mahmud and Muksinul Hossain.

The students said that they left Dhaka for Sydney via Kuala Lumpur on the night of July 12 (Saturday). But their flight unexpectedly landed in Bali, instead of going on the scheduled route.

Adnan's mother Mahmuda Akhter said that initially the flight attendants said it was only a one-hour stopover. The passengers would stay on the plane. But after a long wait, all the passengers were disembarked at Bali Airport.

Although alternative flights and hotels were arranged for other passengers, the two Bangladeshi students were kept in airport chairs for about 31 hours. They were taken to the lounge on July 14 at noon, but they are still at the airport. Their passports and boarding passes were also taken away during this time.

Adnan's mother said: "My son had an orientation class at the University of Sydney on Monday. Now that they have not arrived, I don't know what will be the decision. We are very worried."

After the incident, the students' family has submitted a written complaint to the Secretary of the Bangladesh Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and demanded an investigation and action against Batik Air. The ministry has already contacted the airline.

In this regard, an official from Batik Air's Dhaka office said that Bali was a 'technical stopover'. Due to a mechanical fault in the flight, the passengers had to be disembarked at the airport. However, Bangladeshis require a visa if they are in transit for more than 8 hours in Bali. Since the two students did not have visas, they were not allowed to board the next flight.

He added: "It is definitely the airline's responsibility. We have heard that they will be sent back to Kuala Lumpur and sent to Sydney on an alternative flight that night."