Grounded planes put Biman’s schedule in disarray

A series of technical issues in Biman planes has raised questions about the national flag carrier's quality of maintenance and safety.

There has been at least 10 incidents in which Biman's Boeing and DHC Dash-8 aircraft suffered technical issues before or after take-off over the last month.

Now at least four of its 10 widebody planes remain grounded, three Boeing 787s and one Boeing 777.

"Biman's flight schedules have been seriously disrupted, affecting multiple onward services and increasing operational and passenger-handling costs," a top official of Biman told The Daily Star.

"Biman's flight schedule has almost collapsed, and we are anticipating major service disruptions. We cannot prepare a proper schedule as the availability of aircraft remains uncertain," said a senior Biman pilot, requesting anonymity.

Biman's present fleet comprises six Boeing 787s, four Boeing 777-300ERs, four Boeing 737s, and five Dash-8Q400s.

Due to the aircraft shortage, Biman was forced to delay flights on the Dhaka–Kuwait and Dhaka–Chattogram–Dubai routes by 24 hours yesterday, Biman spokesperson ABM Raoshan Kabir said.

According to Biman, the carrier is now operating flights to 21 international and seven domestic destinations.

Aviation experts said technical issues are common in any airline; however, the recurring nature of the problems has raised concerns about the safety standards and maintenance practices at Biman.

According to Biman, over last 30 days, several international flights to Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Dammam, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur have faced problems mid air.

A plane had to return due to a malfunctioning toilet.

Allegations have been raised that engineers working at Biman are not doing their jobs properly. Multiple sources attributed the crisis to improper execution of scheduled "checks" and "servicing," a shortage of experienced engineers, and a lack of spare parts.

However, a Biman official said employees in the engineering and maintenance section are overburdened and fatigued due to a shortage of manpower. The airline authorities have formed several investigation committees this month over the incidents. They have also made comprehensive technical inspections mandatory before any aircraft can take off.

On August 10, a Boeing 787 was grounded at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport due to a fault in its flaps. With no alternative flight available, 262 passengers were accommodated in hotels at Biman's expense.

The following day, on August 11, a Dash-8 aircraft returned to Dhaka after 20 minutes into the flight to Chattogram due to an excessive rise in cabin temperature. Passengers were later flown to Chattogram in another aircraft.

On August 6, a Bangkok-bound Boeing 737 returned from Myanmar airspace after excessive vibration was detected in one of its engines.

On August 7, an Abu Dhabi-bound Boeing returned to Dhaka after an hour due to three malfunctioning toilets.

On August 9, after arriving at Singapore's Changi Airport, a Boeing aircraft suffered a technical problem.

A senior pilot of Biman, requesting anonymity, said two Boeing 737 aircraft, taken on lease in 2010, are suffering frequent technical issues despite having had a "D-check" maintenance done at Biman's hangar recently.

"Concerned pilots reported 13 to 14 issues about these two aircraft to the engineering department. Officials said they would fix the problems, but the day after repairs, two flights were forced to return to Dhaka due to excessive engine vibration," the pilot said.

Kazi Wahidul Alam, an aviation expert and a former member of Biman's board, warned that if such a situation continues, the possibility of a disaster cannot be ruled out.

"At a time when the carrier needs to rebuild its reputation, these repeated incidents are eroding passengers' confidence," he added.

According to Biman, on July 16, a Boeing 787-9 was grounded at Dubai International Airport due to a "wheel defect". It returned home 30 hours late.

On July 30, a mechanical fault left a Boeing 737 stranded for six hours at Sharjah Airport.

A senior Biman pilot, wishing anonymity, said, "This is the right time to critically assess how long Biman should continue to rely heavily on the Boeing Component Services Program (CSP), or whether it should move toward developing its own spare parts management strategy based on sound engineering and financial analysis."

Raoshan Kabir admitted the frequency of recent problems was worrying, but insisted passenger safety was never compromised.

"Even if a small issue is detected, an aircraft will not fly until the problem is fully resolved," he said. "Our skilled engineers are investigating and fixing each incident properly."

He, however, said each technical fault is different, making it harder to identify the cause.