Wednesday, 04 February, 2026
Several passengers travelling from Sylhet to the United Kingdom have been denied boarding at the airport despite having valid travel documents and tickets.
As of Tuesday, at least 14 passengers have faced the problem, according to Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Sylhet Station Manager Shakil Ahmed.
He said the affected passengers have been encountering the issue since last Wednesday at Osmani International Airport. All 14 passengers were bound for London’s Heathrow Airport.
Shakil explained that passengers travelling to the UK are required to update their passport details on the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website at least 48 hours before departure, a requirement many are unaware of.
“As a result, when they come to the airport to collect their boarding passes, the system shows that their passport details are not available on the UKVI platform. In such cases, we have no option but to offload them,” he said.
He added that the airline has been in contact with authorities in London and been assured that the issue will be resolved soon.
“Whenever a system undergoes digitalisation, there are bound to be transitional problems. We have been told that updates are currently being made to the website,” he said.
Biman said boarding passes cannot be issued when passenger information does not appear on the British Home Office database, even if travellers possess valid tickets and other required documentation.
Under international aviation regulations, airlines are obliged to deny boarding if immigration clearance cannot be verified electronically.
Officers from the airline, the airport, and the British Home Office have attributed the disruption to the UK’s ongoing transition to a fully digital immigration process, commonly referred to as the eVisa system.
As part of this shift, the UK has phased out all physical visa documents, including Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards, completing the transition by Dec 31, 2024.
While many expatriates have already moved from BRP cards to eVisas, a significant number have failed to update their new Bangladeshi passport details in their UKVI accounts.
When airlines attempt to verify immigration status by submitting passport details through the Home Office database, the system may return a “no valid visa” error.
Immigration officers noted that airlines rely on the Interactive Advance Passenger Information (IAPI) system to confirm passengers’ right to travel.
Even where a traveller’s immigration status is technically valid, server delays or data synchronisation issues can prevent real-time verification at airline check-in counters.
In response, the British Home Office’s nationality team has advised passengers to log into their UKVI accounts at least 48 hours before their flight to ensure that their immigration status is marked as “live” or “active”.
Passengers have also been urged to confirm that their passport number is correctly linked to their eVisa or UKVI account, and to update the system immediately in the event of a passport renewal.
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Several passengers travelling from Sylhet to the United Kingdom have been denied boarding at the airport despite having valid travel documents and tickets.
As of Tuesday, at least 14 passengers have faced the problem, according to Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Sylhet Station Manager Shakil Ahmed.
He said the affected passengers have been encountering the issue since last Wednesday at Osmani International Airport. All 14 passengers were bound for London’s Heathrow Airport.
Shakil explained that passengers travelling to the UK are required to update their passport details on the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website at least 48 hours before departure, a requirement many are unaware of.
“As a result, when they come to the airport to collect their boarding passes, the system shows that their passport details are not available on the UKVI platform. In such cases, we have no option but to offload them,” he said.
He added that the airline has been in contact with authorities in London and been assured that the issue will be resolved soon.
“Whenever a system undergoes digitalisation, there are bound to be transitional problems. We have been told that updates are currently being made to the website,” he said.
Biman said boarding passes cannot be issued when passenger information does not appear on the British Home Office database, even if travellers possess valid tickets and other required documentation.
Under international aviation regulations, airlines are obliged to deny boarding if immigration clearance cannot be verified electronically.
Officers from the airline, the airport, and the British Home Office have attributed the disruption to the UK’s ongoing transition to a fully digital immigration process, commonly referred to as the eVisa system.
As part of this shift, the UK has phased out all physical visa documents, including Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards, completing the transition by Dec 31, 2024.
While many expatriates have already moved from BRP cards to eVisas, a significant number have failed to update their new Bangladeshi passport details in their UKVI accounts.
When airlines attempt to verify immigration status by submitting passport details through the Home Office database, the system may return a “no valid visa” error.
Immigration officers noted that airlines rely on the Interactive Advance Passenger Information (IAPI) system to confirm passengers’ right to travel.
Even where a traveller’s immigration status is technically valid, server delays or data synchronisation issues can prevent real-time verification at airline check-in counters.
In response, the British Home Office’s nationality team has advised passengers to log into their UKVI accounts at least 48 hours before their flight to ensure that their immigration status is marked as “live” or “active”.
Passengers have also been urged to confirm that their passport number is correctly linked to their eVisa or UKVI account, and to update the system immediately in the event of a passport renewal.
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