Biman Bangladesh Airlines cancelled three scheduled flights on Sunday and is facing a schedule disaster.
Travel plans of thousands of passengers who were scheduled to leave for Middle Eastern destinations were thrown into chaos.
Thousands of passengers were seen in the terminal at the Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday morning. Most of them were bound for Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, Dubai and Jeddah.
The disarray was caused after a Boeing 747, which can carry 500 passengers and was hired from Portuguese charter company Air Atlanta, left on Sept 12 before time agreed in a deal between Biman and the company.
The agreement stipulated the plane fly 3,000 hours in total, 250 hours a month. The deal was supposed to expire on Sept 20, but the plane left for Portugal from Muscat airport in Oman on Sept 12 leaving 225 passengers there.
The Boeing 747 was operating between Bangladesh and Middle Eastern cities including Riyadh, Dubai, Jeddah and Oman.
Biman says eight more flights with over 450 passengers on board each time were remaining in the deal. Biman's regular flight plans were upset as it started flying the passengers stuck at the airport on smaller planes to their destinations.
According to the Biman Control Room, the international flights – Dhaka- London (BG-005), Dhaka-Abu Dhabi (BG-027) and domestic flight Dhaka-Sylhet (BG-061) were cancelled to maintain the schedule for Middle Eastern countries.
In the midst of all these, thousands of passengers stranded at the airport have alleged that Biman authorities were not providing required assistance even after their flights were cancelled.
Malaysia-bound Anisur Rahman, waiting at the airport's Terminal 2, told bdnews24.com: "My flight was at 11am on Saturday. But I came to know the flight has been cancelled after I got in here. I was told to contact again at 8am today (Sunday)."
He alleged he did not get any of the privileges from the Biman authorities even though they are supposed to provide food and accommodation for passengers of the cancelled flights.
Like Anisur, Malaysia-bound passenger Mohammad Masum of Bhairab and Dubai-bound passenger Sajib Mia have been waiting at the airport since Saturday.
Sajib said, "My flight was at 7pm Saturday. After I came here, I found out that it will be delayed. I have been told to contact officials at 10pm tonight, but I can't trust them."
No-one body was able to console a weeping Mohammad Shafiullah who was supposed to leave for Abu Dhabi on Friday.
He told bdnews24.com: "Four of us came here on Sept 14 to catch our flight to Abu Dhabi. And now we are being told to contact the authorities at 2pm tomorrow (Monday). We don't have any money left. I don't know what to do now, I only have Tk 100 in my pocket."
Kuwait-bound passengers demonstrated and took out rallies on the airport premises demanding flights to take them to their destination. Biman staff took them inside the terminal after the journalists arrived at the scene. No reporters were allowed to enter the terminal.
When contacted, Biman's Acting Managing Director Mosaddek Ahmed declined comment on the matter.
Travel plans of thousands of passengers who were scheduled to leave for Middle Eastern destinations were thrown into chaos.
Thousands of passengers were seen in the terminal at the Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday morning. Most of them were bound for Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, Dubai and Jeddah.
The disarray was caused after a Boeing 747, which can carry 500 passengers and was hired from Portuguese charter company Air Atlanta, left on Sept 12 before time agreed in a deal between Biman and the company.
The agreement stipulated the plane fly 3,000 hours in total, 250 hours a month. The deal was supposed to expire on Sept 20, but the plane left for Portugal from Muscat airport in Oman on Sept 12 leaving 225 passengers there.
The Boeing 747 was operating between Bangladesh and Middle Eastern cities including Riyadh, Dubai, Jeddah and Oman.
Biman says eight more flights with over 450 passengers on board each time were remaining in the deal. Biman's regular flight plans were upset as it started flying the passengers stuck at the airport on smaller planes to their destinations.
According to the Biman Control Room, the international flights – Dhaka- London (BG-005), Dhaka-Abu Dhabi (BG-027) and domestic flight Dhaka-Sylhet (BG-061) were cancelled to maintain the schedule for Middle Eastern countries.
In the midst of all these, thousands of passengers stranded at the airport have alleged that Biman authorities were not providing required assistance even after their flights were cancelled.
Malaysia-bound Anisur Rahman, waiting at the airport's Terminal 2, told bdnews24.com: "My flight was at 11am on Saturday. But I came to know the flight has been cancelled after I got in here. I was told to contact again at 8am today (Sunday)."
He alleged he did not get any of the privileges from the Biman authorities even though they are supposed to provide food and accommodation for passengers of the cancelled flights.
Like Anisur, Malaysia-bound passenger Mohammad Masum of Bhairab and Dubai-bound passenger Sajib Mia have been waiting at the airport since Saturday.
Sajib said, "My flight was at 7pm Saturday. After I came here, I found out that it will be delayed. I have been told to contact officials at 10pm tonight, but I can't trust them."
No-one body was able to console a weeping Mohammad Shafiullah who was supposed to leave for Abu Dhabi on Friday.
He told bdnews24.com: "Four of us came here on Sept 14 to catch our flight to Abu Dhabi. And now we are being told to contact the authorities at 2pm tomorrow (Monday). We don't have any money left. I don't know what to do now, I only have Tk 100 in my pocket."
Kuwait-bound passengers demonstrated and took out rallies on the airport premises demanding flights to take them to their destination. Biman staff took them inside the terminal after the journalists arrived at the scene. No reporters were allowed to enter the terminal.
When contacted, Biman's Acting Managing Director Mosaddek Ahmed declined comment on the matter.
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