Dhaka-bound Biman flight forced to divert as pilot ignores alert

A Dhaka-bound flight of Biman from Madinah, Saudi Arabia was forced to divert to Sylhet because the pilot-in-command and first officer ignored a NOTAM (notice to airmen) alert at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, indicating that the airport would be unavailable for a certain period.

The incident took place on Wednesday, and caused huge loss for the national flag carrier due to the flight diversion, said Biman sources.

A NOTAM alerts pilots and airline operators about things like closed runways, airspace restrictions, hazards, or changes in airport facilities that they need to know before or during a flight.

The Boeing 777 departed Madinah for Dhaka on Wednesday without paying heed to the NOTAM alert on Dhaka airfield's closure, leading to the flight's diversion to Sylhet, said Biman sources.

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According to HSIA sources, the flight reached Dhaka during the NOTAM period, which was from 11:45am to 12:45pm and was subsequently forced to divert to Sylhet Osmani International Airport.

The pilots of the flight and other concerned officials of Biman should have calculated the arrival time at Dhaka before departing from Madinah and delayed the departure from there to avoid this diversion, said HSIA sources.

Contacted, Bushra Islam, general manager (public relations) of Biman, admitted the incident.

Earlier, in a similar incident, all crew including the dispatcher of the flight had been suspended, said Biman sources.