Air ambulance to fly Bangladesh’s former PM Khaleda Zia to London for medical treatment on Tuesday

Khaleda Zia air ambulance to London

An air ambulance organised to transport Bangladesh’s critically ill former prime minister Khaleda Zia to London for medical treatment is scheduled to land in Dhaka on Tuesday, aviation officials said on Sunday.

A senior official from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) stated that the aircraft has been assigned an 8 am landing slot on Tuesday, with a departure planned for 9 pm the same day, news portal bdnews24.com reported.

As reported by tbsnews.net, the Qatar government arranged the aircraft, renting it from the Germany-based FAI Aviation Group after selecting a replacement air ambulance to carry out the long-range medical evacuation.

FAI Aviation Group’s original application had requested clearance to land on Tuesday and depart for London on Wednesday.

Zia, the 80-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson, has been receiving treatment for multiple ailments at Dhaka-based Evercare Hospital for nearly two weeks.

The three-time prime minister was originally expected to leave early Friday on an air ambulance provided by the Emir of Qatar, but the BNP later said the plane’s arrival was delayed due to technical issues.

A revised plan for her to depart on Sunday was also postponed as she remains too unwell for long-haul travel.

The medical board treating Zia postponed her planned travel to London for an indefinite period, her personal physician and BNP’s policy-making standing committee member Dr AZM Zahid Hossain had told reporters on Saturday.

The Qatar Embassy in Dhaka said the replacement air ambulance, a Bombardier Challenger (CL-60 series) jet, is fitted with full critical-care equipment, including ventilators, monitors, infusion pumps and oxygen systems, and is staffed by doctors, nurses and paramedics trained in in-flight intensive care.

Khaleda last travelled to London for treatment in January aboard an air ambulance from the Emir of Qatar’s personal fleet.

(With PTI inputs)