Upon calling those numbers, a duty officer named ‘Sajib’ from Aviation Security stated that they were unaware of the matter. He advised contacting the Executive Director of the airport.
Meanwhile, multiple attempts to call the FitsAir number provided by the hotline went unanswered. When the hotline was contacted again to check if there was an alternative contact number for the airline, the same official, Mahdi, answered and provided another number.
After calling the new number multiple times, an individual answered. He identified himself as a spokesperson for FitsAir and stated his name was ‘Rana’. However, he neither provided his full name nor mentioned his designation.
The individual named Rana told Prothom Alo that their flight was delayed by “only 45 minutes” beyond its scheduled time. However, at that time, runway renovation work was underway at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, preventing any flights from taking off or landing. Although the runway reopened later, the flight could not depart due to adverse weather conditions and an aviation warning.
Rana added that airport operations were at a standstill due to lighting work on the runway and heavy rainfall. He claimed the flight was delayed due to passenger safety and runway limitations, but insisted it was by no means five to six hours.