PM for Biman overhaul [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

PM for Biman overhaul

Local December 20, 2016

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday ordered the civil aviation ministry to form a high-level committee for ‘overhauling’ the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines against the backdrop of a VVIP flight’s emergency landing due apparently to ‘human factor’ recently.
She also asked for immediate legal actions against those found responsible for the November 27 emergency landing of her flight in Ashgabat of Turkmenistan on the way to Hungary.
The prime minister issued the directives after the weekly cabinet meeting at the secretariat as civil aviation and tourism minister Rashed Khan Menon apprised her of the findings of three probes over the incident.
‘Biman will file a case tomorrow over the incident…The prime minister has asked us to go ahead with our decision to launch legal actions without delay,’ Menon told New Age.
He said that another committee either under the civil aviation ministry’s secretary or any other member of Biman’s board would be formed soon to prepare a fresh proposal for ‘overhauling’ Biman.
The committee will also take initiatives to implement the recommendations of the probe committees for improving the state-owned airlines’ overall management, the minister informed.
The prime minister wanted immediate measures to revamp the airlines now, he added.
Principal secretary to prime minister’s office Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and civil aviation ministry’s secretary SM Ghulam Farooque, among others, were present there.
A high-powered committee, led by civil aviation ministry’s additional secretary Swapan Kumar Sarker, on Sunday submitted its report to the minister over the emergency landing of prime minister’s flight.
The committee recommended filing a case against some specific people
over the incident to determine whether any
‘human factor’ that forced the VVIP flight with the PM aboard to make an emergency landing was an act of sabotage.
All the three investigations — one by the ministry, another by Biman and the other by the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh — found human factor responsible for the loose B-nut of the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The investigation report said the loosened B-nut caused oil seepage, leading to the gradual decrease of oil pressure to the left engine.
The separate probe bodies, however, failed to identify whether the human factor was intentional or unintentional.
On November 30, six officials and on December 14, three engineers of Biman were suspended for their negligence in duty in the flight of the VVIP aircraft.
The Biman flight, carrying the prime minister, had to make an emergency landing at Ashgabat International Airport in Turkmenistan on her way to Budapest on November 27, following detection of low oil pressure in its left engine.
After repair works, the flight took off Ashgabat Airport after a delay of over four hours.
Bangladesh Biman Corporation was turned into a public limited company in 2007 to operate the national flag carrier commercially in the wake of perennial financial losses. It now flies passengers and cargo to 18 international destinations in Asia and Europe.