US-Bangla Chennai flight delayed by 7 hours, passengers suffer

US-Bangla Chennai flight delayed by 7 hours, passengers suffer

Passengers of a US-Bangla Airlines flight to Chennai have alleged that the flight departed nearly seven and a half hours behind schedule on Sunday, causing severe inconvenience, particularly for those travelling for medical treatment. They also claimed they had to travel without a functioning air-conditioning system.

Samia Shatabdi, a passenger on the flight, shared her experience on Facebook. According to her post, flight BS205 was scheduled to leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:45 am on Sunday but took off at 6:16 pm.

Initially, the delay was attributed to adverse weather, but the airline later cited a technical glitch. Samia alleged that the aircraft's AC or ventilation system was not working until take-off. The flight arrived in Chennai around 8:30 pm, and passengers spent the entire journey in heat without AC.

She added that many passengers, including elderly individuals and children, were travelling for medical treatment and suffered the most. Cabin crew repeatedly assured that the AC would be turned on, but the issue was never resolved.

Samia said crew members later informed her that they had known about the AC problem before take-off and attempted repairs with passengers onboard. The decision was made to operate the flight without fully fixing the issue and address it upon return from Chennai.

US-Bangla Airlines, however, claimed the aircraft's AC system was partially functional. A spokesperson for the airline told the media that while the AC was operational, it was not working at full capacity.