Air ambulance for Khaleda Zia expected to arrive on Tuesday
FAI Aviation Group submitted a request through a third party earlier today (6 December) seeking permission for a flight schedule to land in Dhaka on 9 December and depart for London the following day
The air ambulance arranged to fly ailing former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia to London is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday (9 December), pending government clearance.
According to a senior official at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), German operator FAI Aviation Group submitted a request through a third party earlier today (6 December) seeking permission for a flight schedule to land in Dhaka on 9 December and depart for London the following day.
CAAB has since forwarded the application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the required clearance, the official confirmed.
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The Qatar government has rented the aircraft from FAI Aviation Group after opting for a replacement air ambulance for Khaleda Zia's medical evacuation.
BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan yesterday told The Business Standard, "The Emir of Qatar is sending a replacement air ambulance after the first royal aircraft encountered mechanical problems."
"The one now arriving is also a Qatari air ambulance, but it is manufactured by a German company. Qatar is not sending any air ambulance from Germany," he clarified.
Khaleda Zia was initially expected to fly to London on 5 December, but the delayed arrival of the royal air ambulance pushed back the schedule.
The former prime minister has long been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and kidney, lung, heart and eye problems.
On 23 November, Khaleda left her Gulshan residence, Firoza, for Evercare Hospital at around 7:30pm and has been receiving treatment there since then.
Earlier, on 8 January this year, Khaleda travelled to London. Upon arrival, she was admitted to the London Clinic, a private hospital, where she remained under the care of renowned specialists Prof Patrick Kennedy and Prof Jennifer Cross for 17 days.
From 25 January, she received treatment and stayed at the London residence of her eldest son Tarique. The BNP chief then returned to Dhaka on 6 May after four months in the UK.
