US-Bangla Chattogram bound flight delayed after technical glitch triggers fire alert indication
The incident also affected airport operations, with the runway remaining temporarily unavailable for around 15 minutes
A US-Bangla Airlines flight bound for Chattogram was forced to abort its departure from Dhaka this morning (24 June) after a technical glitch triggered a fire warning indication in the cockpit, prompting the pilot to halt the aircraft on the runway and return it for inspection.
Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Group Captain Ragib Samad told The Business Standard that the aircraft returned from the takeoff point due to an engine-related technical issue.
"The aircraft came back from the takeoff point because of an engine technical problem," he said.
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To minimise disruption, US-Bangla arranged a replacement aircraft for the affected passengers.
However, preparing the substitute aircraft, assigning flight crew, transferring catering supplies and completing other operational requirements resulted in a delay of about an hour.
The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 7:00am, eventually left Dhaka at around 8:00am, according to the airline.
The incident also affected airport operations, with the runway remaining temporarily unavailable for around 15 minutes while the aircraft was secured and passengers were safely evacuated.
According to US-Bangla Airlines, the incident occurred while the aircraft was taxiing for departure. A fire alarm-related indication appeared on the cockpit's monitoring system, prompting the pilot to immediately stop the aircraft and notify air traffic control.
Kamrul Islam, General Manager (Public Relations) of US-Bangla Airlines, said aviation safety procedures require pilots to verify any such warning before continuing a flight.
"Such indications can sometimes turn out to be false alarms. However, pilots cannot ignore a fire warning or proceed without proper verification. The pilot acted in accordance with established safety protocols," he said.
The airline said passengers were subsequently disembarked and transported back to the terminal while engineers began examining the aircraft.
"The aircraft was positioned on the runway, and it could not be moved until all safety procedures, including passenger disembarkation, were completed," Kamrul said.
Kamrul said the aircraft involved in the incident has been sent to the hangar for detailed inspection. Preliminary findings suggest the event was linked to a technical indication rather than an actual fire or major mechanical failure.
"No evidence of a fire has been found so far. The aircraft is undergoing a thorough technical examination as part of standard safety procedures," he said.
