Biman flight stranded in Dubai for over 26hrs

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight has been grounded at Dubai International Airport for over 26 hours due to a mechanical fault, leaving 178 passengers stranded and frustrated.

Flight BG-248, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was scheduled to depart from Dubai at 12:05am local time on Wednesday and arrive in Sylhet at 7:05am Bangladesh time. However, shortly after passengers had boarded, a technical issue was detected, forcing the aircraft to remain at the gate.

According to Sakia Sultana, Biman’s regional manager in Dubai, the problem emerged just before departure. “The aircraft was grounded due to a technical fault. We arranged hotel accommodations for 175 passengers. The remaining three stayed at the airport due to visa issues,” she said, adding that meals were also provided.

The aircraft had arrived in Dubai from Dhaka at 10:11pm on Tuesday. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, the problem persisted throughout Wednesday.

By evening, another Biman aircraft arrived in Dubai carrying spare parts. Passengers were informed the flight would resume at 1:30am on Thursday. They were transported back to the airport from the hotel at 9pm, but the departure was delayed again — first to 2am, then to 2:30am — with the fault still unresolved.

Among the stranded is Maulana Abdul Ahad Jihadi, a prominent religious speaker from Sylhet. Speaking over the phone, he said, “We were kept in a hotel for 21 hours and then brought back to the airport, but the flight did not leave. No one can tell us when we will reach Sylhet.”

Another passenger, Habib Ahmed from Abu Dhabi, expressed his frustration: “I chose Biman for a quick trip to Dhaka, but now women, children, and elderly passengers are all suffering due to the delay.”

The incident adds to growing concerns over Biman’s fleet reliability. In the past two months, at least 10 Biman aircraft have reported technical issues — ranging from wheel detachment and burst tires to engine vibrations and malfunctioning landing gear.

As of early Thursday morning, the flight had yet to depart Dubai, with no official confirmation on a revised schedule.