Staff Correspondent: Dhaka, Aug-30,

Biman Bangladesh Airlines pilot Captain Nowshad Ataul Qayum, who was hailed for landing his plane safely in Nagpur after he suffered a heart attack in midair, died at a hospital in India on Monday.

The 44-year-old pilot fell sick in mid-air on August 27 and since then he had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nagpur, the western state of Maharashtra, where he breathed his last in the morning.

Biman’s flight BG022 with 124 passengers made an emergency landing in the Indian city of Nagpur on the day after Captain Nowshad fell sick, while piloting the plane from Muscat to Dhaka.

The pilot was later admitted to a local hospital.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mohammad Mahbub Ali and Secretary to the Ministry Mohammad Mokammel Hossain expressed deep shock at the premature demise of the pilot, said Tanvir Ahmed, public relation officers of Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry.

In a message, the junior minister said, “Captain Nowshad was a skilled pilot and he gave utmost importance to the safety of passengers and their lives while performing his duty. Biman has lost a skilled pilot like him at his death.”

End/Dct/Ahr/Sma/