A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was delayed by five hours at Japan’s Narita International Airport on Thursday after a technical fault was detected shortly before take-off.
Flight BG-377 was scheduled to depart for Dhaka at 6pm Japan time, but the pilot detected a malfunction in the aircraft’s spoiler system while taxiing towards the runway after pushback.
After receiving a warning signal in the cockpit, the pilot contacted the control tower, cancelled the take-off and returned the aircraft to its designated parking area.
Spoilers are movable panels on an aircraft’s wings that help reduce lift and slow the aircraft, particularly during landing.
Biman engineers on board and a Japanese technical team then began repairing the fault. They completed the repairs after several hours, allowing the flight to depart.
The aircraft eventually departed for Dhaka at around 11pm Japan time, five hours behind schedule.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Public Relations Department official Shahnur Ahmed confirmed the technical fault to TIMES.
In a subsequent press release, he said Biman’s engineering team and Japanese technicians successfully completed the repairs.
According to the statement, the aircraft was pushed back at 7:43pm Bangladesh time and took off safely for Dhaka at 7:55pm.
The flight was scheduled to land in Dhaka at 3am on Friday, 30 October.
The disruption occurred as the prime minister and his entourage were returning from a four-day official visit to Japan.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat was accompanying the prime minister, while Biman Bangladesh Airlines Deputy Managing Director Syed Moin Uddin was present at the airport.
Tarique Rahman arrived in Tokyo on 26 October at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
