BANGLADESH’S REACTION TO AVIATION SAFETY ISSUES
Minister Faruk has reassured that there is no immediate concern regarding the technical integrity of Biman’s Dreamliner fleet given their recent acquisition, per a statement released on Saturday.
Nevertheless, he emphasised the importance of swiftly addressing any issues with Boeing to ensure passenger safety.
Biman’s fleet includes 21 aircraft, among them six 787 Dreamliners named Akashbeena, Hansabalaka, Gangchil, Rajhansa, Sonartari, and Achinpakhi. These wide-body aircraft, acquired in 2018 and 2019, are primarily used for long-haul flights to destinations in Europe and the Americas, including Canada.
According to a March 19, 2023 report by Forbes, the Dreamliner continues to be a popular model, with over 1,600 units either delivered or on order, each with a list price of $239 million.
Shafiul Azim, the managing director and CEO of Biman, said in a telephone call on Saturday that the airline maintains regular communication with Boeing regarding technical and maintenance issues.
He plans to update the minister on these discussions soon.
A Biman official said no major security concerns have arisen with the Dreamliners to date.
However, on Jan 20, a Biman Dreamliner, with 297 passengers on board, had to return to Shahjalal International Airport two hours after taking off for Saudi Arabia due to cracks in the cockpit windshield.
Air Commodore Moazzem Hossain, director of engineering and material management at Biman, said the windshield was not supposed to crack four years after the plane was added to Bimanâs fleet.
âWeâre contacting Boeing to identify if this was a manufacturing fault or caused by some other factor.â
Windshield cracks are not so common in aviation, but a Boeing 787 of Biman had earlier suffered such an incident, Moazzem said.
Windshield cracks can compromise an aircraftâs pressurisation system leading to a disaster.
