Passengers are facing mounting frustrations as Biman Bangladesh Airlines continues to grapple with severe schedule disruptions, throwing both domestic and international flights into disarray.
The delays — now occurring one after another — have left travelers stranded for hours without clear communication from the airline’s top management, raising questions over accountability and operational competence.
On Sunday, flight BG 355/356 was grounded in Rome due to an aircraft-on-ground (AOG) situation. According to sources, the incident left 242 passengers, including one child, and 10 crew members stranded. Checked-in baggage had to be returned in compliance with airport regulations, a process delayed further by immigration clearance, luggage delivery, hotel arrangements, and blocked airport roads caused by a bus fire.
The last group of around 30 passengers only reached their hotel at about 2:30am, with no dinner provided due to the late hour.
“After a 10-hour wait, all we got was confusion and no real explanation,” said Mahbub Alam, a Dhaka-bound passenger from Rome. “We were exhausted, hungry, and felt completely abandoned.”
Italian-Bangladeshi migrant worker Tanvi Akter added, “No one told us anything clearly. We just kept waiting in the airport with children crying around us.”
Meanwhile, Biman’s board chairman is reportedly overseas for medical treatment, while Managing Director and CEO Shafiqur Rahman has not responded to calls or messages from journalists seeking clarification. Public Relations Officer Al Masud Khan has issued symbolic statements that have done little to satisfy passengers demanding answers.
“This isn’t the first time. I faced the same last month flying from Chittagong. If one flight is delayed, everything falls apart,” said Shafiqul Islam, a frequent flyer from the UAE.
Further compounding the chaos on Monday, a mechanical glitch forced a domestic flight to return shortly after take-off.
According to airline sources, a Dhaka–Chittagong flight had to return to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) about 20 minutes after departure. The pilot made the decision after the cabin temperature rose excessively soon after take-off.
The incident occurred on flight BG615, scheduled to depart at 1:55pm. The Dash-8 aircraft (registration S2-AKI) left Dhaka at 2:34 p.m. but returned at 2:55pm.
An emergency meeting was called on Sunday at Biman headquarters following a series of consecutive flight disruptions. However, the airline authorities have disclosed no information about decisions taken at the meeting.
Despite the recurring delays, no investigation committee has been formed so far, nor have authorities responded to texts and emails from this reporter seeking explanations.
On Monday, Group Captain Md Monzur-E-Alam, director of Engineering and Material Management, told the Dhaka Tribune that the flight problems were due to technical reasons but declined to elaborate.
Another case on Saturday highlighted the recurring nature of the issues. A captain’s operational note on flight BG585 reported a slat (flight control) malfunction while passengers were already on board. Engineers worked for two hours before deciding the aircraft would have to operate at a lower altitude — requiring more fuel, more time, and exposing the flight to greater weather risks.
The delays caused a domino effect on domestic routes. Both BG355/356 from Rome and BG585 were originally scheduled to carry onward passengers from Dhaka to Chittagong and Sylhet, but these connections were delayed by more than four to five hours. Travelers expecting short domestic hops after long-haul or regional flights found themselves stuck in Dhaka’s terminal with little information on revised departure times. Families with small children, elderly passengers, and business travelers all complained about the lack of basic facilities, with some missing important events and appointments.
“It’s time to seriously address the technical problems of the B737 and Dash-8,” warned the official. “We are losing the faith of our passengers.”
A concerned country office source flagged elevated risks of back-to-back AOG incidents involving the S2-AFM aircraft, especially on sensitive routes like Singapore, where operational and financial consequences are higher. The source urged deployment of “the most serviceable aircraft” and called for planes equipped with in-flight entertainment to meet passenger expectations.
Biman insiders point to a deeper problem: the appointment of unqualified engineers leading to substandard maintenance and inadequate technical checks. “Sometimes a flight is returned mid-air, sometimes a fault appears right after repairs,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity. “It’s no surprise that we are seeing these cascading disruptions.”
With both domestic and international schedules now in turmoil, industry insiders criticised the national carrier’s failure to take corrective action, turning operational lapses into a chronic crisis with no fix in sight.
