Shah Amanat Airport runway reopens after two-hour closure, 387 pilgrims safe

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying 387 Hajj pilgrims from Medina of Saudi Arabia was grounded for two hours at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport due to a technical glitch. 

The incident occurred after the flight, BG-138, landed at 9:30 am on Saturday and stopped at the end of runway-23 during a U-turn, halting operations for two hours.

The runway was closed temporarily but resumed full functionality after the aircraft was towed to the apron by 11:20am. 

Airport Public Relations Officer Engineer Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil said, “The plane experienced a technical fault post-landing, leading to a brief runway closure. No significant damage occurred, and all pilgrims are safe.”

“We departed Medina at 11:30 pm Friday and landed in heavy rain at 9:15 am. The plane got stuck mid-runway during the turn, which was frightening. After two hours, it was safely moved,” said a passenger, Abdur Rahman.