Pilot’s Precaution Places Plane in Sylhet Instead of Shahjalal
A flight bound for Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from Medina, Saudi Arabia, was diverted to Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport after failing to comply with a “NOTAM” (Notice to Airmen). Despite the diversion, the aviation authorities clarified that it was not considered a pilot error.
According to the authorities, the pilot attempted to avoid the NOTAM by departing ahead of schedule. However, the attempt was unsuccessful, necessitating a landing in Sylhet and incurring additional landing charges.
Sources report that on Wednesday, a Boeing 777 operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines departed Medina for Dhaka. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh had issued a NOTAM alert, declaring the runway closed from 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM on the same day. Upon learning of this, the pilot attempted to depart 16 minutes earlier than the scheduled time to avoid the NOTAM restrictions.
Despite the early departure, the pilot could not avoid the alert period and was forced to divert the aircraft to Sylhet. Once the NOTAM period ended, the flight resumed and successfully landed at Shahjalal International Airport. Due to the diversion, Biman Bangladesh Airlines had to pay extra landing charges.
Addressing the issue, Biman’s General Manager of Public Relations, Bosra Islam, told the media, “This is a routine situation. The pilot attempted to avoid the NOTAM, but since he couldn’t, the aircraft landed in Sylhet.”
When asked whether the pilot’s decision resulted in the extra charge, she said, “Sometimes, if a passenger becomes ill mid-flight, we must land at the nearest airport, and that too incurs a charge. In this case, as flights were suspended at Shahjalal during that period, the aircraft had to land at a nearby airport. The incurred charge will be borne by the airline.”
Regarding whether the charge was due to pilot error, she added, “We do not consider this a pilot mistake. Even if the flight had departed Medina later, the same charge would have applied. The pilot departed 16 minutes early in an effort to land before the local alert began. Unfortunately, that did not happen. In this case, the authorities do not consider it an error on the pilot’s part.”
