Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the state-owned air transport company, has explained about 45 passengers being dropped from a Toronto-bound flight in Canada. Biman’s general manager (public relations) Tehera Khandkar issued this clarification in a statement to the media on Tuesday.
According to Biman’s explanation, 74 passengers traveled from Sylhet to Dhaka on Biman’s flight BG606 at 8:25 pm on November 6. Among them, a large number of passengers are on the Toronto flight (BG305/November 7, 2023). Officials at the airline’s Sylhet station reviewed the passengers’ travel information and found that 45 passengers were traveling to Canada to attend a wedding on invitations from the same person. The documents of the passengers from Sylhet station were sent to the Passport Control Unit (PCU) in Dhaka as their documents were immediately reviewed and suspected.
The PCU then sends these documents to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in Delhi for verification. From there it was first informed that the information of these passengers in the passenger list in the CBSA system is correct. As a result boarding cards were issued to the passengers from Sylhet and they reached Dhaka. Meanwhile, the Canada Border Service Agency again informed that there is a discrepancy in the system regarding the information on the invitation letter of the passengers and their stay (accommodation). Passengers are provided with documents of rented houses even though the invitation letter states that they will be staying at a hotel.
According to Canadian law, there is no rule for a rented house to have 45 passengers and it is a violation of the law, the message said. After reviewing passenger documents and messages from the Canada Border Services Agency and consulting with higher authorities, 45 passengers were de-boarded from the Toronto-bound flight on November 7, 2023. All the information of those passengers is sent to CBSA through Passport Control Unit (PCU) in Dhaka. Later it was informed by CBSA that the visas of the said passengers have been sent to the immigration authorities. Canadian immigration authorities will inform the concerned passengers by e-mail after further verification.
When the passengers were asked to stay in the hotel, they refused. When it was explained not to be sent on the Toronto flight, they understood the matter. Later, immigration canceled their exit seal and cleared the baggage. Passengers then left the airport on their own accord.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines said that if the passenger does not have proper documents or for violating such laws, the concerned airlines may be fined by the Canadian authorities from 3,200 to 20,000 Canadian dollars per passenger.
