TDS Desk:

A series of recent mechanical glitches in Biman Bangladesh Airlines flights has sparked concerns over passenger safety and the national carrier’s maintenance standards.

Multiple aircraft have been grounded or returned mid-flight due to technical issues during the period amid, dealing a fresh blow to the national flag carrier’s reputation and putting its image at stake.

According to Biman sources, at least nine aircraft on both domestic and international routes reported various faults last month.

Although accidents could be averted repeated disruptions have led to flight cancellations, schedule chaos, missed connections and significant inconvenience for passengers.

In the past 30 days, technical issues have occurred mid-air or before takeoff on several routes including Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

Malfunctioning of toilets, faults in engines or trouble in aircraft on the runway left passengers waiting for hours, missing connecting flights and in some cases unable to reach their destinations.

The latest incident occurred on Sunday when a Boeing Dreamliner was grounded at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport after a wing flap malfunction.

Two hundred and sixty two passengers were accommodated in hotels while spare parts were flown in from London for repairs.

A day later, a Dash-8 aircraft operating a domestic route returned to Dhaka just 20 minutes after take-off due to a cabin temperature rise.

Earlier this month, a Bangkok-bound Boeing 737 was forced to turn back on August 6 due to engine vibration, an Abu Dhabi-bound Boeing returned the next day due to toilet malfunction, and a Singapore-bound Boeing encountered problems on August 9.

On Monday (Aug 12), Biman cancelled two Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights — to Kuwait and Dubai — due to a shortage of operational aircraft.

The flights will now depart on Tuesday and passengers were informed of the revised schedules.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ General Manager (Public Relations) ABM Rawshan Kabir that the flights to Kuwait and Dubai which were canceled on August 12 will operate tomorrow.

The BG 343 flight on the Dhaka–Kuwait route will depart at 7:30 pm tomorrow (August 13), while the Dhaka–Chattogram–Dubai flight will leave at 5:05 pm the same day.

He said the flights were cancelled due to an aircraft shortage.

The Dreamliner aircraft grounded in Rome is undergoing repairs and five of Biman’s own engineers dispatched there on August 12 to make it airworthy.

The aircraft is expected to be ready for flight by tomorrow evening.

Regarding the repeated mechanical glitches, he said passenger safety is the top priority and no aircraft takes to the skies until all faults are fully resolved.

Aviation experts say these incidents are not sudden, rather, small faults that go unaddressed are turning into major risks.

Kazi Wahidul Alam, a former board member of Biman and an aviation expert, said the repeated mechanical glitches are indeed a reality.

“Many of the aircraft in the fleet are old, which is why problems occur frequently. Such faults need to be detected and addressed in advance with greater checking. However, these repeated issues are damaging the airline’s reputation.”

He also said that since the aircraft are old, regular inspections and strict quality control tests are essential.

Nepotism in hiring engineers and pilots must be avoided and only qualified professionals should be recruited, he added.

Several major glitches were also reported in July, including incidents that left Dreamliner and Boeing aircraft grounded in Dubai and Sharjah.

Biman currently operates a fleet of 19 aircraft — 14 from US-based Boeing and 5 Dash-8 Q400 models from Canada.

The Boeing fleet includes 4 Boeing 737-800s, 4 Boeing 777-300ERs, 4 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, and 2 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

To reduce passenger inconvenience the process of leasing two aircraft is in its final stage alongside plans to purchase new ones, the sources added.