Why is Pakistan's airspace at the centre of Bangladesh's nuclear fuel delay?

Dhaka: Pakistan has attributed the delay in transporting nuclear fuel for Bangladesh's Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant to technical and procedural issues, following reports that it denied airspace clearance for the shipment.

The nuclear fuel meant for Unit 2 of the plant was scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on September 24. However, the shipment remains delayed after the cargo flight could not use Pakistani airspace.

In a clarification issued on Tuesday, the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka said the matter involved flight routing and airspace permissions, describing it as a technical issue rather than a reflection of bilateral relations.

"Pakistan maintains an unwavering commitment to international diplomatic norms and processes all requests for diplomatic flight and overflight clearances within a standardised, predictable timeframe, strictly in accordance with our established regulatory guidelines and civil aviation protocols," the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka said in a clarification on Tuesday.

"With regard to the reports being quoted, the matter appears to relate to technical and procedural arrangements concerning flight routing and airspace permissions, which can occasionally require coordination among the relevant aviation and other authorities and may result in adjustments to flight schedules", it added.

"Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with Bangladesh, and 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 Pakistan High Commission said.

Bangladesh awaits delayed nuclear fuel shipment

Bangladesh's Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam told ANI that the shipment had been scheduled to arrive on September 24 but was held up after the flight was denied permission to use Pakistani airspace.

"We heard that a cargo plane carrying uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh was scheduled to arrive on September 24. However, the flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace, so the uranium did not arrive in Bangladesh as planned. As of now, the exact reason for Pakistan not granting the airspace clearance is still unknown", Faqir Mahbub Anam, Bangladesh's Minister for Science and Technology, told ANI over the phone.

He said a revised arrival date had been proposed, with Russia indicating that the shipment could reach Bangladesh in the first week of October.

"A new date has been proposed, with Russia indicating the first week of October for the uranium to arrive in Bangladesh", he added.

Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, joint secretary to Bangladesh's Science and Technology Ministry, said preparations for receiving the shipment had been completed at the airport before the flight was delayed.

"We had completed all the preparations at the airport and were waiting, but the liaison officer from Rosatom told us that the airspace was not clear. So we couldn’t send it. It may need to be rescheduled", Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, Joint Secretary to the Bangladesh Science and Technology Ministry, told ANI over the phone.

ANI contacted a representative of Russia's Rosatom by email seeking clarification on the delay, but no response had been received at the time of publication.

Rooppur plant to generate 2,400 MW

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Bangladesh's first nuclear power facility, is being built in Rooppur village along the Padma River in Pakshi Union, Ishwardi Upazila, in Pabna district.

The project is being developed with technical assistance from Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, under the oversight of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.

It involves two third-generation VVER-1200 reactor units with a combined capacity of 2,400 megawatts of baseload electricity.

Bangladesh received its first shipment of low-enriched uranium fuel for Unit 1 in 2023, marking a key milestone in the country's nuclear power programme.

The 164 fresh fuel assemblies, manufactured by Rosatom's Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, were flown directly from Russia to Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport aboard a Russian heavy-lift cargo aircraft under international safeguards.

The radiation-shielded containers were subsequently transported to the plant site in Ishwardi, Pabna, through a secured route guarded by the Bangladesh Army and law enforcement agencies. An official handover ceremony was held in October 2023.