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Saturday | October 31, 2026 | Dhaka

Biman probes tech glitch on PM’s flight

Committee given four working days to identify cause and fix responsibility
 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:02 AM, 31 October 2026

The technical malfunction that delayed Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s return flight from Japan by nearly five hours has raised questions about aircraft safety and operational preparedness, prompting Biman Bangladesh Airlines to launch an investigation to establish the cause and determine whether any negligence or procedural failures were involved.

The national flag carrier formed a four-member committee on Friday to investigate the technical glitch that affected flight BG-377 before its scheduled departure from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on Thursday.

The incident, involving an aircraft carrying the prime minister and his entourage, has drawn attention to the importance of ensuring aviation safety and operational reliability, particularly when transporting the country’s head of government.

According to an office order issued by Biman, the chief (Planning and Scheduling) will head the investigation committee, while the chief engineer (Engineering Production) and deputy chief (Flight Safety) have been appointed as members. The manager (Legal Affairs) will serve as the member secretary.

The committee may also co-opt other Biman officials as members if necessary.

The panel has been tasked with establishing the actual cause and nature of the technical problem that developed before the flight’s scheduled departure.

It will examine the technical and operational measures taken to identify and resolve the fault and ensure the aircraft’s airworthiness before it was cleared for departure.

The investigation will also assess the consequences of the incident, including the flight delay, additional operational costs, passenger inconvenience and any damage to the institutional image of the national flag carrier.

It will examine the duties and responsibilities of the officials concerned to determine whether negligence, inadequate coordination or procedural lapses occurred at any stage. Responsibility will be assigned if any such failure is established.

The committee will also recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Biman has instructed the panel to submit its findings to the managing director and chief executive officer within four working days.

The flight was scheduled to leave Narita International Airport at 6:00pm local time on Thursday. However, it eventually took off at 10:55pm, nearly five hours behind schedule, after Biman’s engineering team and Japanese technicians resolved the technical problem.

The aircraft, carrying Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman and other members of his entourage, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 2:48am on Friday.