The body of Biman pilot Captain Nowshad Ataul Qayum, who died in India following a mid-air heart attack, will be brought back home on Thursday, said State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mohammad Mahbub Ali.

“Nowshad’s body will arrive around 8:30 am on Thursday,” he said while talking to reporters after inaugurating the ‘Online Reservation System and Hotel Management System under Enterprise Resource Planning (version-2), at the conference room of his ministry on Wednesday.

“We’re extremely shocked as we’ve lost such a pilot who had shown his efficiency and responsibility by saving the lives of passengers before. We deeply mourn his premature demise,” he said, adding that all necessary steps have been taken to bring Nowshad’s body back.

Read:Biman Pilot Nowshad: A hero in his death

Mahbub Ali also conveyed his deep sympathy to his bereaved family members.

Replying to a question about the process, he said, “As regular flights in India remained suspended, we’ve to take permission from the Foreign Minister and the Civil Aviation of India. We’ll go for an easier option.”

Captain Nowshad Ataul Qayum, who was hailed for landing his plane safely in Nagpur after he suffered a heart attack in mid-air, died at a hospital in India on August 30.

The Biman flight (BG022), carrying 124 passengers, had to make an emergency landing in Nagpur on August 27 after Nowshad fell sick while piloting the plane from Muscat to Dhaka.

Since then, the 44-year-old pilot had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nagpur where he breathed his last.