Pakistan has described its refusal to allow airspace for the transportation of nuclear fuel meant for Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant as a technical and procedural issue. The clarification came after reports that a cargo flight carrying uranium fuel for the plant was unable to reach Bangladesh as scheduled after it did not receive permission to use Pakistani airspace.
The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka said the country processes requests for diplomatic flights and overflight clearances within a standardised timeframe and in accordance with established regulatory guidelines and civil aviation protocols.
Pakistan calls airspace issue technical and procedural
In a clarification issued on Tuesday, the Pakistan High Commission said the matter appeared to relate to technical and procedural arrangements concerning flight routing and airspace permissions. “Pakistan maintains an unwavering commitment to international diplomatic norms and processes all requests for diplomatic flight and overflight clearances within a standardised, predictable timeframe,” the High Commission said.
It added that such arrangements can sometimes require coordination between relevant aviation and other authorities and may result in adjustments to flight schedules. The Pakistan High Commission also said Islamabad attaches importance to its relations with Bangladesh and urged that the matter be viewed in its “proper technical context”, rather than through reports or narratives that could affect bilateral relations.
Uranium shipment for Rooppur Unit 2 delayed
Bangladesh’s uranium transport for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been disrupted after the cargo flight did not receive clearance to use Pakistani airspace. Nuclear fuel for Unit 2 of the plant was scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on September 24. However, the shipment has not arrived as planned because the flight could not use the required airspace.
Bangladesh’s Minister for Science and Technology, Faqir Mahbub Anam, told ANI that the cargo plane carrying the uranium had been scheduled to arrive on September 24, but permission to use Pakistani airspace was not granted. He said the exact reason for Pakistan not granting the airspace clearance was still unknown at the time. A new date has been proposed, with Russia indicating the first week of October for the uranium to arrive in Bangladesh, Anam added.
Preparations were completed at airport
Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, Joint Secretary to Bangladesh’s Science and Technology Ministry, said preparations at the airport had been completed and officials were waiting for the shipment. However, the liaison officer from Rosatom informed them that the airspace was not clear, following which the shipment could not be sent as planned. He said the delivery may need to be rescheduled.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being built with support from Russia’s Rosatom. ANI said it contacted a Rosatom representative by email regarding the issue, but had not received a response at the time of reporting.
Rooppur plant is Bangladesh’s first nuclear power facility
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is Bangladesh’s first nuclear power facility. It is being constructed in Rooppur village along the banks of the Padma River in Pakshi Union of Ishwardi Upazila in Pabna district. The project is being developed with technical assistance from Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, and under the oversight of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.
The project involves two third-generation VVER-1200 reactor units, which are expected to collectively generate 2,400 megawatts of baseload electricity.
Bangladesh had earlier received the initial shipment of low-enriched uranium fuel for Unit 1 from Russia. The fuel assemblies, manufactured by Rosatom’s Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, were flown directly from Russia to Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Russian heavy-lift cargo aircraft under international safeguards. From Dhaka, the radiation-shielded containers were transported to the plant site in Ishwardi, Pabna, through a heavily secured “green corridor” guarded by the Bangladesh Army and law enforcement agencies. An official handover ceremony for the fuel was held in October 2023.
(With inputs from ANI)
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