Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, BG-201, was forced to return to Dhaka midway after a power outage disrupted operations at London Heathrow Airport on Friday.
The flight (BG-201) departed from Dhaka (DAC) at 08:42am on its way to Heathrow (LHR), making a brief stop at Sylhet Osmani International Airport at 9:06am, according to a Biman statement.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-9, continued its journey from Sylhet at 10:46 am but was turned back before reaching London due to the unexpected power failure at Heathrow, causing significant delays and operational difficulties at the airport.
"The flight to London has turned back midway as flights are not taking off or landing at London Heathrow Airport," said Boshra Islam, Biman's general manager of public relations. "We will resume our flight when the situation returns to normal."
With 267 passengers on board, including the pilot and crew, the flight landed again at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 1:45pm (local time).
A major power outage has closed Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport and the world's fifth busiest, for all of Friday.
The measure had to be taken after a fire broke out at a power substation near the airport, the BBC reports. The substation provided the airport with power.
A Heathrow spokesperson said that fire service personnel are working to bring the fire under control.
"At this time, we cannot say how long it will take for the power supply to return to normal. However, our staff are working hard to manage the situation," he said.
