Staff Reporter :
Private carrier United Airways is not able to continue its flight operations due to unavailability of aircraft, and, as a result, passenger with tickets are passing some anxious moments, knowing not what will happen to them next.
The aircraft are grounded for maintenance, but the airline does not have enough funds to do the sumptuous servicing, which is also a matter of time.
Source said that United Airways was desperately looking for funds from other sources. Unless the company can arrange the funds, it may not be able to resume flights.
The net operating cash flow of the airline also shows its financial weakness. The net operating cash flow per share was only Tk 0.26 during the July-December period of last year, and Tk 0.40 a year ago, according to data on the DSE website.
This is not the first time that the private carrier has suspended its flight operations. Domestic and international flights of the airline remained suspended for several days in September 2014 over a conflict among its directors.
Set up in 2007, the airline has 11 aircraft in its fleet viz two Airbus 310-325, five MD-83, three ATR-72-212 and one Bombardier Dash-8 100. It was listed on the stock exchange in 2010.
It has permissions to operate domestic flights between Dhaka and Chittagong, Sylhet, Jessore, Cox’s Bazar, Rajshahi, Barisal, Syedpur and Ishwardi.
On the international front, it has permissions to land in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Jeddah, Bangkok, Muscat and Singapore.
Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury, Chairman and Managing Director of United Airways said, “As soon as the aircraft become serviceable, flights will resume.”
Meanwhile, share price of United Airways fell to its lowest level on Dhaka Stock Exchange since December last year.
