An air ambulance arranged to fly former prime minister Khaleda Zia to London for further treatment is scheduled to land in Dhaka on Tuesday, aviation officials said.
A senior Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) official told local media the aircraft has been allotted an 8:00 am landing slot on Tuesday and a 9:00 pm departure the same day.
According to reports, the government of Qatar arranged the aircraft, renting it from Germany-based FAI Aviation Group after opting for a replacement air ambulance for the long-range medical evacuation. FAI’s initial application had sought clearance for a Tuesday arrival and a Wednesday departure.
Zia, 80, the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a three-time prime minister, has been receiving treatment for multiple ailments at Dhaka’s Evercare Hospital for nearly two weeks. She had been expected to leave on an air ambulance provided by the Emir of Qatar early last Friday, but BNP officials said that plane was delayed by technical problems. A revised plan for Sunday was also postponed because she remained too ill for long-haul travel.
Her medical board has since postponed plans for travel to London indefinitely, her personal physician and BNP standing committee member Dr AZM Zahid Hossain told reporters.
The Qatar Embassy in Dhaka said the replacement aircraft is a Bombardier Challenger CL-60 series jet equipped with full critical-care facilities, including ventilators, monitors, infusion pumps and oxygen systems. It is staffed by doctors, nurses and paramedics trained in providing intensive care during flight.
Khaleda Zia last traveled to London for medical treatment in January aboard an air ambulance from the Emir of Qatar’s personal fleet.
