Punctuality of Biman found wanting

Biman is lagging far behind the international standard for on-time performance for its flights, an indication of the continued operational inefficiency of the national flag carrier.

The on-time performance of airlines is the percentage of flights that arrive or depart within 15 minutes of the scheduled time. Globally, airlines target 80 percent and above.

Some 69.37 percent of Biman's flights between July last year and June this year departed on time, according to the flag carrier's own data. During that period, 66 percent of the flights arrived on time.

Biman's poorest on-time performance for international departures from Dhaka was recorded in December last year, 47.25 percent. Its best was in March, 72.24 percent.

Many airlines have embedded on-time performance as a key performance indicator as delays affect productivity and cost airlines thousands of dollars every year.

"It means flights spend longer on taxiways burning fuel unnecessarily -- it means passengers miss connections and get upset," said ATM Nazrul Islam, an aviation expert.

The knock-on effects of the disruptions to onward travel are far-reaching, he said.

In Europe, where passengers are entitled to compensation for late flights, there is a direct cost associated with poor on-time performance.

In 2023, Biman failed to make it to the list of the top 20 most punctual airlines in the Asia-Pacific region.

Biman has identified at least 20 reasons for the flight delays, including the non-availability of adequate number of check-in counters, delays in allocating gates, and assiging a gate to multiple flights.

Space constraints at airports also make it difficult to load baggage containers onto aircraft.

The other reasons include the breakdown of carousels, bad weather, and delays in cabin cleaning.

Biman admitted that passengers become displeased due to flight delays, documents show.

The newly-appointed Biman Managing Director and CEO Zahidul Islam Bhuiyan said maintaining on-time performance is one of his main challenges.

To improve efficiency, Biman has taken various measures including closing the check-in counters 60 minutes before the departure of international flights.

Biman is providing its employees training to increase its capacity in ground handling at the Dhaka Airport, the Biman officials said.