Fits Air Passengers Stranded for Five Hours on Ground in Dhaka Following Technical Failure
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A group of 182 passengers traveling from Dhaka to Colombo experienced a harrowing ordeal on July 11 when they were held inside a grounded FitsAir aircraft for more than five hours at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The flight, originally scheduled for a 2:15 a.m. departure, did not take off until 7:50 a.m. due to a reported technical failure, leaving travelers trapped in a confined cabin without adequate assistance or relief.
Passengers described the experience as a physical and mental ordeal, alleging that the airline crew provided no food or water for the majority of the delay. According to travelers, the situation was compounded by unprofessional conduct from staff, with several individuals reporting that requests to deplane due to health concerns were ignored. One passenger, Sonia Rifat, noted that she suffered from severe respiratory distress and was forced to stand near the aircraft door to breathe, as the crew refused to allow passengers to exit despite the lack of a timeline for repairs.
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Other travelers, including those with medical conditions such as diabetes, reported significant distress due to the lack of refreshments and the prolonged confinement. Rifat, who required medical treatment upon arriving in Sri Lanka, stated that her travel group, “Go Girls,” faced verbal aggression from crew members when attempting to disembark, including instances where staff reportedly threw personal belongings at passengers. Another passenger, Mehreen Rahman, described the experience as a “nightmare” that forced her to abandon her plans entirely.
The airline’s account of the event contradicts the documented timeline and passenger testimonies. A spokesperson for FitsAir, identified only as Rana, claimed the flight was delayed by only 45 minutes, citing runway maintenance and adverse weather conditions at the Dhaka airport as the primary causes. However, flight logs and photographic evidence confirm the aircraft remained on the tarmac for five hours and 35 minutes. When questioned about the discrepancy and the alleged mistreatment of passengers, the spokesperson failed to provide further clarification.
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Airport authorities acknowledged the gravity of the technical issue, confirming that engineers identified a low hydraulic fluid level that rendered the aircraft unfit for flight. Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, confirmed that passengers were kept inside the aircraft for approximately five hours. While airport officials stated that a light snack was provided to passengers around 6 a.m., they maintained that they had received no formal complaints regarding staff misconduct or the quality of service provided by FitsAir during the delay.
International aviation standards typically mandate that passengers be offered the opportunity to deplane during extended delays, with regulations in some jurisdictions limiting tarmac confinement to three or four hours. Despite these industry norms, the passengers on the FitsAir flight remained onboard for the duration of the mechanical repair, with no clear path for recourse or support from local aviation authorities.
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