 |
| Biman grounds to a halt |
The national flag carrier's public relations officer, Khan Mosharraf Hossain, told bdnews24.com that the airline was compelled to resort to such a measure because of an 'unprecedented situation'.
A pilots strike has crippled the national flag carrier. Biman had to cancel eight of its 15 flights on Thursday, although authorities had earlier vowed to keep things normal.
A brewing crisis came to a head when Bangladesh Airlines Pilots' Association (BAPA) went on strike on Tuesday to protest the suspension of four of its members including the acting president and general secretary.
Thursday saw Biman flight schedules in a shambles as more than half of its flights had to be cancelled.
Two international flights and one domestic flight have been delayed. Moreover, passengers of two flights were boarded on a single aircraft, a Biman schedule said on Thursday.
Khan Mosharraf Hossain, however, said the hajj flights had gone smoothly.
The carrier and pilots pointed the finger at each for the crisis.
Biman managing director Zakiul Islam told a press conference that the carrier will run according to its normal regulation. "Anyone who wants to create a turmoil will be dealt with strictly."
"Biman is facing an internal instability," the Biman boss stated referring to the pilots' strike.
FLIGHTS MUDDLED
The Biman PRO said eight flights—Dhaka-Bahrain-Kuwait, Dhaka-Kolkata, Dhaka-Delhi, Dhaka-Kathmandu, Dhaka-Abu Dhabi, Dhaka-Dubai, Dhaka-Cox's Bazar and Dhaka-Chittagong—were cancelled due to shortage of pilots.
Several other flights were delayed and rescheduled.
The national carrier on Thursday morning issued a notice to pilots warning them of stern action if they do not join work by 11am on Saturday.
Biman pilots have decided to defy the 48-hour ultimatum to join work.
M A Basit Mahtab, secretary general of the Bangladesh Airlines Pilot Association (BAPA), told a press conference at 2:30pm on Thursday that they will not even sit for a meeting with the authorities until the suspension of its four members are withdrawn.
Biman temporarily suspended four of its pilots on Tuesday. Immediately following the suspension, 116-strong BAPA went for a strike.
Biman officials who have flying experience were reassigned to fly planes including two directors and a director general. Moreover, seven contractually appointed pilots who are not members of BAPA were also flying planes.
0 comments:
Post a Comment