Qatar to send rented German air ambulance for Khaleda Zia to Dhaka

The air ambulance arranged for former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s medical transfer to London will come from Germany under a Qatar government facilitated arrangement. 

“The Qatar government is renting an air ambulance, and it will come to Dhaka from Germany.” Public Relations Officer of the Qatar Embassy in Dhaka Asadur Rahman Asad told BSS here this evening.

According to Khaleda Zia’s medical team’s advice, the plane is anticipated to arrive, he said.

The former prime minister was originally supposed to go aboard the Emir of Qatar’s special air ambulance, but he said that a “technical glitch” forced Qatar to set up a different aircraft.

The Bombardier Challenger 604 (CL60), run by FAI Aviation Group, Germany’s top supplier of mission-critical aviation services and air ambulances worldwide, has been rented by the Qatari government.

The company operates a fleet of Bombardier business jets, used for both medical evacuation and VIP transport.

The Challenger 604 is known for its long-range, transcontinental capability suitable for intercontinental medical flights.

Earlier on Friday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Khaleda Zia’s planned medical transfer had been delayed because the original Qatar aircraft had not reached Dhaka due to technical issues.

He said the aircraft might arrive Saturday if problems were resolved.

“If Madam (Khaleda) is fit to travel and the medical board approves, then, Insha Allah, she will fly out on December 7 (Sunday),” he told reporters.

Zubaida Rahman, the daughter-in-law of Khaleda Zia and the wife of acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, arrived in Dhaka early on Friday morning on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight during the events.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a verbal request for help to the Qatari Embassy on Thursday, indicating an increase in diplomatic activity around the evacuation.

In response, Qatar said that once Khaleda Zia is medically cleared to travel, the air ambulance will be sent out.

In a different letter, BNP asked for logistical assistance in getting the sick former prime minister to England.