A Biman plane returned to its departure airport after the pilot fell sick one hour into the flight to Doha on Friday.

With 419 passengers on board, the plane left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 5:15pm, said Tahera Khondoker, general manager (public relations) of Biman.

But Capt Maqsood Ahmed, the pilot-in-command, felt severe back pain when the plane was over Nagpur, India, she told The Daily Star.

Since Capt Maqsood was unable to move and it would take a long time to reach Doha, the other pilot flew the plane back to Dhaka.

After the plane landed, Capt Maqsood was taken to the Combined Military Hospital.

The plane eventually left for Doha around 10:15pm with another pilot in the cockpit, Tahera said.

According to sources, as there is a shortage of cockpit crew, Biman authorities asked Capt Maqsood to fly even though he felt unwell.

However, Public Relations Manager Al Masud Khan said the allegation that pilots were forced to fly despite their unwillingness and poor health was nothing but propaganda against the flag carrier.

As the pilot-in-command, Capt Maqsood made a prudent decision and returned to Dhaka.

According to him, no pilots are ever asked to fly for more than 120 hours a month.

"Biman strictly follows Pilots' Flight Duty Time Limitation set by the International Civil Aviation Organization and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh regulations. The limit was not exceeded in the case of Capt Maqsood," he also said.