Bangladesh Biman is suffering from a pilot crisis. According to the number of aircraft, Biman is operating with less than half the number of pilots that are supposed to be there. And due to this crisis, the company has to operate flights on international routes in violation of international rules. According to the rules, a pilot is supposed to do a maximum of 1,000 hours of duty in a year. Sometimes Biman pilots are made to do 1,400 hours, sometimes 1,600 hours of duty. Those concerned say that Biman takes permission from the Civil Aviation Authority for 1,200 hours, citing its pilot crisis. Beyond this permission, pilots are being made to do 400 to 500 hours of duty. Some are falling ill due to the pressure of additional duty.
On March 16, he had to return from Kolkata because he was made to do duty while he was sick. Biman also had to pay a huge fine in that incident. Khairul Alam Bhuiyan, who has worked in the aviation sector for a long time, said, “This is terrible information. Operating an aircraft with a sick pilot is very dangerous. There is no such thing as passenger safety here, it is like pushing him to death.” He said, “We want the Bangladesh Biman authorities to operate flights in accordance with all international rules. Otherwise, the Civil Aviation Authority will take appropriate action against them.” According to relevant sources, Biman Bangladesh Airlines currently has 21 state-of-the-art aircraft. These are ATR, Dash Eight, Boeing 737, 787 and Boeing 777. But according to IATA (International Air Transport Association) rules, 321 pilots are required for this number of aircraft. But Biman has 150; that is, less than half. Sources say that according to the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other international organizations, no commercial airline pilot in any country can operate more than 900 to 1,000 hours in a year. Biman Bangladesh Airlines has violated the rules by operating flights not only for 1,200 hours but also for additional hours.
Biman pilots did not get any benefit even after verbally complaining to the Bangladesh Civil Aviation. Last March, Captain Ishtiaq, Chief Pilot Planning and Schedule of Bangladesh Biman, himself informed the then MD of Biman and various high-level officials through e-mail that it was not possible to schedule pilots according to the rules of Bangladesh Civil Aviation. That is, the FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) was being violated.
Even the issue of this irregularity of Biman Bangladesh Airlines has recently come up in the audit of ICAO. Where it is said that Biman is getting the opportunity to commit these major irregularities due to the lack of proper monitoring by Bangladesh Civil Aviation. For the last 2-3 years, there have been irregularities in Biman Bangladesh FDTL violations, recruitment, training, and checking, but no action has been taken despite looking into them.
It is known that violating this law is such a big crime that there is a provision to impose moderate penalties on every pilot and airline. The International Civil Aviation Authority even has the power to cancel the license of the airline operating company. Many pilots of Bangladesh Biman are suffering from heart attacks and physical problems due to operating excessive flights in violation of the rules. There are even examples of pilots of Biman Bangladesh Airlines operating flights with an ill body. As a result, the pilots of Biman are also suffering mentally.
On the other hand, when a pilot operates a flight with a mental or physical illness, there is a concern about the safety of the aircraft and passengers. Even after the flight took off on March 16, a pilot fell ill in the sky of Kolkata, so the plane returned to Dhaka on an emergency basis and the flight resumed after a 6-hour delay.
Several pilots of the airline, who did not want to be named, said that despite being ill, the airline has to operate flights. There is a pilot shortage in the airline. For a long time, the authorities have not taken any steps on this important issue.
Due to restrictions on speaking to the press without revealing their names, other officials requested to speak to the public relations department. When contacted later, Biman’s public relations department told Biman’s public relations general manager Bosra Islam to the Daily Industry, “We have a pilot crisis. They are managing it and keeping it going. However, this crisis will not last for long.”
