An Air Astra flight bound for Chattogram made an emergency landing at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport today (5 July) after developing an engine fault shortly after take-off.

Airport officials said the flight departed Dhaka around noon, about one and a half hours behind its scheduled 10:30am departure.

Within two to three minutes of take-off, one of the aircraft's engines developed a fault, prompting the pilot to return to Dhaka as a precaution.

The aircraft landed safely, and all 70 passengers on board were unharmed.

Confirming the incident to The Business Standard, Engineer Ibrahim Khalil, public relations officer at Chattogram's Shah Amanat International Airport, said the flight was unable to continue its journey after one of its engines malfunctioned shortly after departure.

"The aircraft returned to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and made a safe emergency landing. All passengers are safe," he said.

One of the passengers, Bangladesh Customs Agents Association President Saiful Alam, praised the pilot for handling the situation.

"Although the flight was scheduled to depart at 10:30am, it left around one and a half hours late. Shortly after take-off, a technical problem occurred, but the captain's exceptional skill ensured the aircraft returned safely to Dhaka," he told TBS.

AFM Rubyet Ullah, assistant manager (Brand and Marketing) at Air Astra, told The Business Standard, "There was a technical issue with the aircraft, so it returned and landed safely. We arranged another aircraft and transported all 70 passengers to their destination."

The airline did not immediately disclose the exact nature of the engine fault.