Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Monjur Kabir Chowdhury said that despite the red alert being issued and an ongoing security operation at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, all activities at the airport remained normal.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Air Vice Marshal Monjur clarified that the red alert was activated during a security operation to prevent any possible disruptions.
He emphasized that the airport authorities had taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and prevent any untoward incidents.
“During our operational activities, a red alert was issued at the airport. We remained on high alert to prevent any disorder during the operation,” he said.
The security operation was initiated after the information about explosives was received by the Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn), which was then relayed to the Operation Control Room. Following this, CAAB took immediate action.
The CAAB chairman informed that he had communicated the matter to the Air Force chief, who provided full cooperation.
Additionally, all relevant agencies, including the Aviation Security (AvSec), worked with utmost diligence and bravery to ensure the safety of the passengers.
Monjur said: "Anytime a threat arises, we must take prompt action. The life of each passenger is highly valuable to us. Even if there had been just one passenger aboard the flight, we would have taken the same actions. After a thorough search, we found no explosives. Every passenger cooperated fully, and no property was lost during the operation. We managed the entire situation smoothly."
When asked by journalists about the source of the threat, the chairman confirmed that the alert came from a Pakistani WhatsApp number sent to the APBn control room.
He further explained: "We remain vigilant to ensure that no untoward incident takes place while also keeping airport operations intact. Despite the heightened security measures, the airport's immigration, customs, and flight operations continued without any major disruptions."
The CAAB chairman assured that even though the operation did not yield any explosives, CAAB would continue to maintain stringent security measures to keep the airport safe.
"We take these matters with the utmost seriousness, and our efforts to ensure the security of the airport remain ongoing," he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, a flight from Rome to Bangladesh was diverted for an emergency landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after receiving information regarding potential explosives on board.
Following the alert, the security agencies successfully evacuated the passengers and conducted an extensive search of the aircraft. Despite the six-hour operation, no explosives were found.
