A Biman flight initially headed for Saudi city Dammam returned back to the Dhaka airport only about an hour after takeoff on Monday afternoon due to technical faults.

The Boeing 777-300ER plane left the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 3:30pm and returned around 4:33pm. Almost 400 passengers were on board.

After takeoff, the pilot detected a problem in the cabin pressurization functions and decided to avoid all potential risks, said Al Masud Khan, manager of public relations at Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

The passengers were sent to Dammam on a different aircraft, he confirmed.

In an aircraft, the cabin pressurization system ensures safe air pressure and oxygen levels for passengers at higher altitudes, where air density and oxygen levels are significantly lower.

The affected aircraft had already underwent inspection at the engineering department. It was readied to conduct another flight in the night, Al Masud Khan said.

On 28 June, a Singapore-bound Biman Bangladesh flight was forced to land on the Dhaka airport about 20 minutes after takeoff due to bird strikes affecting engine functions.

The flight was being conducted with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.