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Pakistan airspace denial delays Bangladesh’s Rooppur fuel delivery (Img: X)
New Delhi: Bangladesh’s efforts to rebuild ties with Pakistan have faced an unexpected hurdle after Islamabad denied airspace clearance to a Russian flight carrying nuclear fuel for nuclear power project. The shipment, which was scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on September 24, has now been rescheduled.
The delay comes at a critical time for Bangladesh as it is battling a severe power shortage and is looking to bring its first nuclear power plant into operation as soon as possible. Any disruption to the fuel supply could put additional pressure on the project’s operational timeline, although Rosatom has said the overall schedule will not be affected.
Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom is implementing the Rooppur project and is responsible for supplying nuclear fuel to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam confirmed that Pakistan had not granted the required clearance, but said Dhaka had not been given a reason.
"The flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace. As of now, the exact reason for Pakistan not granting the airspace clearance is still unknown," the minister told ANI.
The flight was expected to travel through Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and India before reaching Dhaka. Bangladesh media reports said the denial came at the last minute, with airport preparations already completed.
Tauhidul Islam, joint secretary at the Science Ministry, said officials were informed by Rosatom that the necessary airspace clearance had not been obtained.
Rosatom has since revised the delivery plan, with fuel shipments set to resume in October and continue through December. The company said the remaining consignments would arrive through seven separate cargo flights.
"The remaining fuel batches bound for Bangladesh will arrive by December across seven separate cargo flights," Rosatom stated, assuring Bangladesh that the project schedule won't be impacted.
The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka attributed the issue to "technical" and "procedural issues", while stressing that the incident should not be viewed as a setback to bilateral relations.
"Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with Bangladesh. It would therefore be appropriate to view the matter in its proper technical context and not attach undue significance to reports or narratives that may seek to misplace it to undermine our bilateral relations," the Pakistani embassy said.
Pakistan High Commissioner Imran Haider later met Bangladesh junior foreign affairs minister Humaiun Kobir, although Kobir said the airspace issue was not discussed.
The Rooppur project, located along the Padma River, is central to Bangladesh’s plans to expand reliable electricity generation. The two-unit plant has a combined capacity of 2,400MW.
Bangladesh has faced prolonged electricity shortages, with factories and other industries affected by supply disruptions. Its heavy dependence on imported gas has also exposed the country to external energy shocks.
Fuel loading at Unit-1 began in April, marking a major step towards Bangladesh’s entry into nuclear power generation. Against this backdrop, maintaining a steady fuel supply and completing Rooppur’s commissioning remain important to the country’s efforts to strengthen its electricity system.
