Bangladesh News

Mismanagement of Biman hajj flights has again caused sufferings to pilgrims at the Ashkona hajj camp near Zia International Airport (ZIA).

Hajj camp sources said about 3,000 pilgrims, who were supposed to leave ZIA in the last two days, could not be flown due to technical glitches of a Boeing-747, which Biman Bangladesh Airlines leased for hajj flight operation.

Hajj pilgrims expressed annoyance at the authorities’ failure and their relatives staged a demonstration at the hajj camp yesterday.

After fixing the technical problem Biman yesterday operated four hajj flights to ease the backlog of aspiring hajis. Biman officials at the hajj camp, however, said it will take two or three days more to clear the backlog.

“Wearing Ihram and making all preparations, I waited at the hajj camp for several hours from 3:00am on Monday,” said Nurul Kabir of Chittagong. At one stage the Biman authority said the flight was delayed for 16 hours and would leave at 9:30pm on Tuesday, he added.

Hajj camp sources said Biman cancelled two hajj flights of Boeing-747 due to technical glitches and those flights were supposed to fly about 1,100 pilgrims.

Meanwhile, Biman yesterday completed carrying of all 5,571 ballottee hajj pilgrims except nine, said Biman official Bazlul Haq Biswas, adding that these nine pilgrims did not report at the hajj camp.