A special cargo flight carrying uranium fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka late Friday night, marking the latest delivery of nuclear fuel for Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant.
The aircraft landed at around 11:43pm, according to airport Executive Director Group Captain Ragib Samad.
The shipment, intended for the Rooppur plant, was carried by a Russian-made four-engine Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft. Officials said details regarding the movement of the consignment are classified.
The arrival had been delayed for several hours due to an airspace clearance issue. The shipment was originally scheduled to reach Bangladesh on September 24, but the flight was postponed after permission to use Pakistani airspace was not secured.
Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam had earlier said that the flight route included Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and India, and that the required clearance from Pakistan was pending.
Earlier on Friday, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat visited Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and said necessary security measures had been taken for the movement of the Rooppur uranium shipment.
The nuclear fuel will subsequently be transported from Dhaka to the Rooppur project site in Ishwardi, Pabna, under tight security arrangements.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, being built with Russian technical assistance, consists of two VVER-1200 reactor units, each with a generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts. Fuel deliveries for the plant’s second unit are scheduled to continue in phases through December 2026.
The latest shipment is part of the ongoing process to supply nuclear fuel required for the operation and commissioning of the country’s first nuclear power facility.