1,000 stranded as Biman flights go haywire

Awaiting flight schedules, 1,000 more passengers of Biman Bangladesh Airlines suffered at Zia International Airport (ZIA) yesterday as at least nine more Biman flights were delayed due to technical glitches and aircraft shortage.
The flights delayed yesterday include flights to Malaysia, and one each to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Later, two of the flights could manage to fly to their destinations in the afternoon. The Malaysia-bound aircraft flew at 4:30pm with full passengers on board while the Riyadh-bound flight flew about 50 hours behind schedule with 220 passengers on board.
On Tuesday, three Biman flights were cancelled leaving around 600 passengers in untold suffering at ZIA.
Biman high officials at a meeting yesterday discussed arranging make-up flights as soon as possible, hiring aircraft, if necessary, or with the help of other airlines to solve the crisis, said a meeting source.
A Biman high official told The Daily Star that the situation cannot be improved shortly as eight of Biman 11 aircraft have been sent to the hangar due to technical glitches. Three operating aircraft include a DC10-30 and two airbuses.
The flights were delayed for different periods ranging from 10 hours to 50 hours, forcing the Biman authorities to reschedule all flights including those already scheduled several times.
Following delay of the flights, aggrieved passengers staged demonstration at the airport terminal several times.
Many passengers--mostly expatriate workers--fear losing jobs for not being able to join work on time. Those who came on vacation or official assignments also feared complications due to the delay.
"I fear I would not be able to join work on due time if I cannot reach Malaysia in two days," said a Biman passenger whose flight was rescheduled from 10:45 yesterday morning to 1:00am today.
"My stay permit will expire in two days but my flight is delayed for about 12 hours. I still doubt that the rescheduled flight will not leave on time," said another Malaysia-bound passenger whose flight was rescheduled from 3:00pm to 4:30am.
The long wait at the airport caused untold sufferings to women and children. The awaiting passengers complained of problems regarding bathroom and food.
A Biman high official preferring anonymity said, "We are taking measures considering necessity and urgency of the passengers. As soon as flights are being delayed, we are arranging lodging for the passengers at nearby hotels. We are informing passengers about the flight delay individually or through travel agencies.”