Aircraft shortage hits Biman flight schedule

Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ flight schedule on domestic routes is in disarray following the crash-landing of its Dash-8 aircraft in Myanmar’s Yangon on Wednesday.

It has already suspended 10 flights on four domestic routes till Monday.

Wednesday’s accident made matters worse for the national flag carrier, which has been facing a shortage of aircraft after it grounded a Boeing 737 for repairs two weeks ago.

According to Biman officials, three flights on Dhaka-Saidpur, Dhaka-Rajshahi and Dhaka-Jashore routes were cancelled on Thursday. Besides, one flight on Dhaka-Saidpur route and two flights on Dhaka-Sylhet route were cancelled yesterday.

Biman also cancelled a flight on Dhaka-Jashore route scheduled for today and three more on Dhaka-Saidpur and Dhaka-Rajshahi routes for tomorrow, the officials added.

“Ten flights on Sylhet, Rajshahi, Jashore and Saidpur routes will remain suspended till Monday due to a shortage of aircraft till Monday,” Shakil Meraj, general manager (public relations) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, told The Daily Star yesterday.

But Biman’s flight schedule on international routes has not been hampered.

Biman has decided to lease two Boeing-737s from Qatar-based ALAFCO Aviation Lease and Finance Company for six years to overcome the crisis, Shakil said.

The national flag carrier operates 107 flights a week on seven domestic routes across the country.

Its Dash-8s are run on seven domestic routes and also fly to regional destinations, including Kolkata and Yangon.

But Boeing-737s are operated only on Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet routes as the other four airports in the country don’t have the required facilities for their landing or take-off.

Biman usually operates additional flights on the domestic routes in every Eid. But this time, it will not be able to increase the number of flights compared to that in the previous years, an official of the airline told this newspaper, seeking anonymity.

He further said the two Boeing-737s will be added to the Biman fleet within a week. The 162-seater aircraft will fly to Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet as well to international destinations.

Biman has a fleet of 13 aircraft — four Boeing 777-300s, four Boeing 737-800s, two 787-8 Dreamliners and three Dash-8 aircraft.

Of those, one 737 remains grounded for repairs and a Dash 8 is severely damaged in the accident in Yangon.

The shortage of aircraft also led to delay in Biman’s flights. The flight on Dhaka-Chattogram-Kolkata route was delayed by two hours yesterday. It was scheduled to took off from Dhaka airport at 10:05am but departed at 12:10pm.

The flight on Kolkata-Chattogram-Dhaka route was also delayed by two hours yesterday, reports our Chittagong correspondent, quoting officials at Shah Amanat International Airport.

The sudden cancellation of flights and disruption in schedule are causing sufferings to passengers.

On Wednesday, a 74-seater Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 aircraft went off the runway while landing at Yangon airport amid thunderstorms and heavy rain. All 33 passengers and crew members on the flight were injured.

The aircraft was on the grass and largely in one piece. The fuselage was cracked and crumpled at places and the landing gears appeared to have collapsed.

Yesterday, Biman sent a special flight to Myanmar at 4:00pm to bring home four passengers, two pilots, two cabin crew members and two engineers, who were injured in the incident, said Shakil.

The other passengers, who were wounded during the crash-landing, can also board the special flight to return home if they want, he mentioned.

The flight is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka tonight, added the Biman official.