Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier, has been plagued by a series of mismanagements- from aircraft malfunctions, flight schedule disruptions, route closures to unnecessary purchases.
After the fall of the Awami League government, new faces, including the managing director, have come to various positions at Biman Bangladesh Airlines. However, mismanagement in the company could not be eliminated even in a year.
There have been numerous reports of technical faults in Biman's fleet, including both Boeing and Dash-8 aircraft, causing flight cancellations, delays, and diversions. The malfunctions have severely impacted Biman's flight schedule, with passengers stranded at airports and significant delays in departure.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which turned into a cesspool of corruption during the last regime, is grappling with a string of technical malfunctions that have disrupted flight schedules, stranded passengers, and raised serious concerns about aircraft safety and operational management.
Over the past month alone, at least 18 of the airline's aircraft have experienced mechanical faults, many occurring mid-flight or just before take-off, leading to cancellations, diversions, and delayed departures, primarily on international routes.
The recurring technical issues have not resulted in major accidents - save for a narrowly avoided disaster on 16 May, when a wheel detached from a Biman Boeing 737 during take-off from Cox's Bazar, yet the plane landed safely in Dhaka with 75 passengers on board, but the frequency of incidents is eroding public confidence.
Passengers are increasingly opting for alternative airlines, leading to revenue losses for the state-owned carrier at a time when it can least afford it.
Among the recent incidents, a Dhaka-bound flight from Rome BG356, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was grounded on August 10 due to a critical flap defect on the wing, requiring replacement parts to be flown in from London.
The 262 passengers were accommodated in a hotel at the airline's expense, with no clear timeline for when the aircraft would be repaired or the flight resumed.
"I'm stuck here," said Rabiul Islam, a Chandpur resident returning from a limited family visit. "This is mismanagement. A national airline shouldn't operate like this."
On Tuesday, flights to Kuwait and Dubai were cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday, when at least four more services were delayed.
The BG-237 service to Medina, due to leave Dhaka at 4pm, was delayed by at least four hours, as was the case with a Dubai flight. The Jeddah service left 30 minutes late, while the Kuwait flight was delayed by 90 minutes.
A flight from Dhaka to Chattogram forced to return mid-air on August 11 due to excessive cabin heat; and a Dhaka-Abu Dhabi flight that turned back an hour after departure on August 7 when all three toilets malfunctioned simultaneously. On August 7, a Bangkok-bound Boeing 737 returned from over Myanmar due to severe engine vibration.
Earlier in July, problems mounted a Dhaka-Dammam Dreamliner flied back on July 28 due to a cabin pressure alert; a Dubai-Chittagong flight on July 24 returned after the landing gear door failed to close; and on July 16, a Dreamliner was grounded in Dubai for 30 hours due to a wheel fault, requiring spare parts to be flown in from Bangladesh.
