US-Bangla fully complies with ICAO norms: CEO

US-Bangla Airlines operates its all the domestic and international flights maintaining all the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), reports UNB

This was claimed by CEO of the airlines Imran Asif while speaking at a press conference at a city hotel on Wednesday.

The press conference was organised to brief journalists about the emergency landing of one of its flights at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram on September 26.

"Before take-off, any flight of US-Bangla Airlines undergoes technical checking thrice. Foreign engineers check the flight at night a day before the flight and then it is checked by local engineers. Then the captain of the aircraft re-checks the aircraft after having certificates. On completion of all the cross-checking, a flight is put in place for its take-off," he said.

Some 17 foreign engineers from Europe, Canada and America have been appointed to examine the aircraft and 62 expert-level local engineers are also working for the company, he added.

Referring to the emergency landing of the US-Bangla flight at Shah Amanat International Airport, Asif said the Cox's Bazar-bound flight of the airlines (BS-141) with 171 passengers on board made the emergency landing at the airport as the nose gear of the aircraft was not working for technical glitches.

Pilot Captain Zakaria Sabuj and first officer Syed Bin Rauf made emergency landing at the Shah Amanat International Airport instead of Cox's Bazar Airport as the later one was not fit for an emergency landing, he added.

There is no way to fix any nose gear on air, he said.

Talking about the allegations published in different newspapers that the pilots of US-Bangla Airlines have to operate additional flights, the CEO said, "The allegation is not right. A pilot can perform his duties for 14 hours according to the international rules of which they can operate flights for 11 hours maximum. No pressure is created on them."

"The Cox's Bazar incident is not an accident, it's just an incident," Asif added.

After identifying the technical problem, pilot Sabuj said, they kept the aircraft on the air for a long time for exhausting its fuel for a safe landing.