Staff Reporter :
A VVIP flight of Bangladesh Biman [Boeing-777] carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made an emergency landing in Ashgabat, the capital of central Asian country Turkmenistan on Sunday.
The flight named ‘Ranga Provat’ after repairing again started for Budapest making a delay for four hours and 22 minutes. It started for Hungary at 6.37pm. It was expected to reach the destination at 11:00pm, officials said.
According to information received in Dhaka in the afternoon, the Prime Minister, members her entourage and the passengers of the plane were safe. Sheikh Hasina was going to Budapest to attend Water Summit 2016 at the invitation of Hungarian President Dr Janos Ader.
Apart from the PM, the high-level delegation comprises LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud.
General Manager [Public Relations] of Bangladesh Biman Shakil Meraj said on Sunday evening: “Four engineers of the flight repaired the faulty engine of the plane. After repairing, the plane flew for some time in the sky on test basis. Then it again started for Budapest.”
“The plane BBC -1011 made emergency landing in Ashgabat for technical fault at about 2:30 pm BST. The crews and engineers started working immediately to repair the damage,” he said.
Earlier at about 9:00am, the plane carrying the premier took off from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. It was scheduled to reach Ferenc Liszt International Airport at 13.45 hours [Budapest time].
Official sources said, there were 99 passengers along with the entourage of Prime Minister. The flight officials included a four-member cockpit crew, 20 civilian crew, four engineers and one operations manager.
“We’re thinking for alternative carrier to send PM to Budapest. We’re trying to arrange a London-bound plane to take PM to Budapest,” Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon had said earlier.
The Minister, however, could not tell exactly when the London-bound plane would be arranged and take PM to her destination till the time of filing of this report at 6:50pm.
But officials concerned said that the London-bound flight, which left Dhaka on Sunday morning, will be taken to Turkmenistan as an alternative arrangement for the PM.
“There was a technical fault. Fuel pressure was decreasing in one of the engines and there was no alternative except emergency landing in any nearby airport. And so, the plane made the emergency landing in the nearest airport of Ashgabat,” Menon said.
Foreign Ministry officials said the PM and her Hungarian counterpart Victor Orban during the visit will jointly inaugurate Bangladesh-Hungarian Business and Economic Forum.
As per plan, the PM will address the inaugural session of the two-day Budapest Water Summit [BWS-2916] on Monday.
Besides, Sheikh Hasina will join a high level panel on water with President of Hungary and a working lunch to be hosted by the President.
The Prime Minister along with the Hungarian President and other dignitaries are expected to visit a Sustainable Water Solution Expo.
Her bilateral meeting with her Hungarian counterpart Victor Orban will be held on Tuesday morning at Kossuth Square. She will be given a formal guard of honour at Kossuth Square.
The meeting will be followed by a signing ceremony of a number of agreements. The two Prime Ministers will address a joint press conference after the bilateral talks, according to Foreign Ministry officials.
