Refuelling problem delays six flights, passengers suffer

Several hundred passengers had to suffer as six flights were delayed from Hajrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the early hour of Sunday due to the disruption in refuelling operations for at least three hours.

The flights are Cathy Dragon, Malaysian Airlines, Emirates, Regent Airways, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and China Southern.

A passenger of Cathay Dragon said after getting on board, they were requested by the flight crew to get down from the aircraft as it could not get refuel.

Talking to the FE, director of the Dhaka airport Abdullah Al Faruq said that refuelling operations were disrupted as the underground pipeline through which oil was supplied to aircraft by the state-owned Padma Oil was not functioning properly.

This trouble forced the airlines to delay its flights.

The trouble started at around 11 PM o Saturday and the problem was fixed at around 2:00 am on Sunday, Mr Faruq said.

He also noted that Padma Oil was asked to submit a report over the incident.

When contacted, an official of Padma Oil told the FE on condition of anonymity that the refuelling operation was disrupted due to the presence of bubbles in the underground oil pipeline.

Top officials of the company, including the chairman and the chief engineer rushed to the airport after they were informed of the trouble.

"We fixed the problem within a short time and the operation resumed after that," he added.

Such a problem is not unusual, he said, adding similar problem occurred around one and a half years ago.

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