THE breakdown of landing schedules for several flights at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport [HSIA] on Thursday for several hours causing many to make emergency landing at Kolkata Airport and Chittagong Airport shows the poor management capacity of Dhaka Airport to handle crisis. The disruption occurred following emergency landing of a Biman aircraft blocking the runway. It was a total chaos keeping most flights initially hovering around the sky while passengers and their relatives in the ground were frightened for life safety.
The recent events involving Binan aircrafts equally show the entire fleet is vulnerable to in flight accidents mainly resulting from poor maintenance. Following emergency landing of Binan aircrafts at Ashgabat International Airport in Turkmenistan on November 17 while it was carrying the Prime Minister to Budapest, at least two more Biman flights made emergency landing — one at Chittagong en route to Myanmar and another in Thursday in Dhaka while flying from Oman to Chittagong. Similar mechanical troubles of one or another sorts were at stake. Biman flight carrying President Abdul Hamid from Singapore to Dhaka on December 11 also avoided the fatal risk of an accident involving the engine check-up.
We see precious lives were saved every time by miracle and pilots’ timely vigilance made it work and they deserve appreciation. We know that Biman authorities are making frantic efforts to make clear whether any conspiracy was at work behind the Prime Minister’s flight glitch and it is really a serious matter that needs to be clear. But what also makes cases for serious concern is that most Biman flights are now facing fatal risks and none but Biman management and Civil Aviation Ministry’s indifference to be held accountable in the first place for it.
Minister Rashed Khan Menon made horrible disclosure in this respect while sharing the findings of three investigation committees looking into Prime Minister’s flight troubles. His comment that the technician who was assigned to run the final check-up before take-off had no operating license is really surprising. All Biman engineers are mechanical engineers, none had aeronautical background and most of them were promoted from ‘loaders’ are also chilling disclosures. We are really appalled by such disclosures as to how our national carrier is operating everyday and carrying thousands of passengers with all such people handling the highly technical jobs.
It is no secret that appointment, promotion and posting in Biman services and Airport Management where one can make fortune overnight by illegal ways have long been dominated by factors such as political loyalty to the government, nepotism and favouritism. But it is unbelievable that it has touched to such a low level. The national carrier is now almost on the verge of collapse and we fear whether or not people will have any trust for safety while flying with Biman aircrafts. It is now all about how to save passengers’ lives.
The recent events involving Binan aircrafts equally show the entire fleet is vulnerable to in flight accidents mainly resulting from poor maintenance. Following emergency landing of Binan aircrafts at Ashgabat International Airport in Turkmenistan on November 17 while it was carrying the Prime Minister to Budapest, at least two more Biman flights made emergency landing — one at Chittagong en route to Myanmar and another in Thursday in Dhaka while flying from Oman to Chittagong. Similar mechanical troubles of one or another sorts were at stake. Biman flight carrying President Abdul Hamid from Singapore to Dhaka on December 11 also avoided the fatal risk of an accident involving the engine check-up.
We see precious lives were saved every time by miracle and pilots’ timely vigilance made it work and they deserve appreciation. We know that Biman authorities are making frantic efforts to make clear whether any conspiracy was at work behind the Prime Minister’s flight glitch and it is really a serious matter that needs to be clear. But what also makes cases for serious concern is that most Biman flights are now facing fatal risks and none but Biman management and Civil Aviation Ministry’s indifference to be held accountable in the first place for it.
Minister Rashed Khan Menon made horrible disclosure in this respect while sharing the findings of three investigation committees looking into Prime Minister’s flight troubles. His comment that the technician who was assigned to run the final check-up before take-off had no operating license is really surprising. All Biman engineers are mechanical engineers, none had aeronautical background and most of them were promoted from ‘loaders’ are also chilling disclosures. We are really appalled by such disclosures as to how our national carrier is operating everyday and carrying thousands of passengers with all such people handling the highly technical jobs.
It is no secret that appointment, promotion and posting in Biman services and Airport Management where one can make fortune overnight by illegal ways have long been dominated by factors such as political loyalty to the government, nepotism and favouritism. But it is unbelievable that it has touched to such a low level. The national carrier is now almost on the verge of collapse and we fear whether or not people will have any trust for safety while flying with Biman aircrafts. It is now all about how to save passengers’ lives.
