Tokyo:Prime Minister Tarique Rahman departed Tokyo for Dhaka on Thursday night after experiencing a nearly five-hour delay. The delay was caused by a technical glitch in the Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft, concluding his four-day state visit to Japan.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the flight left Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 1055pm local time after a pushback at 1043pm. This was made possible after Biman's engineering team, along with Japanese technicians, fixed the technical issue. The national flag carrier announced that the flight is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 3am on Friday.
Initially scheduled to depart at 6pm local time, the aircraft moved towards the runway at approximately 618pm but was halted before takeoff. Captain Md Imamul Islam informed passengers about the technical problem, which required that the aircraft be returned to the tarmac for all passengers to disembark. The Prime Minister, his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman, and other entourage members were on board at the time.
The repair process was estimated to take two and a half hours, as announced by the pilot around 8pm local time. By 950pm, the technical glitch was resolved, and boarding resumed. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat was present at the Tokyo airport, apologizing for the inconvenience caused and assuring passengers of the aircraft's safety.
During his visit to Japan, Tarique Rahman engaged in a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, discussing various cooperation areas including trade, investment, and infrastructure. He also interacted with Japanese business leaders, participated in the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum, and oversaw the signing of multiple cooperation instruments and MoUs aimed at enhancing bilateral relations.
The visit resulted in the signing of six cooperation instruments and two loan projects worth 46.56 billion yen to support Bangladesh's development. These projects aim to improve the investment environment and support the Upazila Governance and Development Project (Phase 2). State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir noted that the visit is expected to strengthen Bangladesh-Japan relations and foster new opportunities for trade and development cooperation.
Source United News of Bangladesh