The management of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has once again come into question after a Biman pilot was caught in Qatar for flying without passport, despite being checked in Dhaka.
The incident took place Wednesday when Captain Fazal Mahmud operated BG-125 flight on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Doha route, but discovered his passport was not with him after landing at the Hamad International Airport.
Media reports said that he was arrested by the Doha immigration police and his passport was later sent by private carrier Regent Airways next evening.
Capt Mahmud was in Doha until Friday, although he was supposed to operate the VVIP flight carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from Finland.
The incident highlights the growing insecurity in the country's main gateway by air and analysts feared this would send wrong message to the outside world.
Now, he will operate the BG 126 flight on 10 June from Doha, the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines said in a statement.
Home affairs minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal termed Thursday the incident a criminal offence and warned of stern action after investigation.
Meanwhile, the cabinet division formed Friday a four-member inquiry committee headed by Nasima Begum, additional secretary of cabinet division.
The committee will look into the reasons for travel to Qatar without passport and the negligence of duty, if any, by the immigration police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA). The body will submit the probe report within three days.
The Security Services Division of the ministry of home affairs also constituted a four-member committee on the day to investigate how the pilot escaped the security at the Dhaka airport without his passport. The committee will submit its report within a week.
The cabinet committee confirmed that captain Fazal Mahmud was detained by Qatar immigration police, in what the body called "an unexpected incident".
The Biman statement contradicted, saying the pilot was not detained by Doha police. Instead, Mr Mahmud was staying at a transit hotel in Doha after discovering the passport was not in his possession.
According to media reports, Mr Mahmud claimed that the Dhaka immigration police took his finger prints, but did not ask for the passport.
Similar incident took place in February last year when police officer Ashiqur Rahman boarded a Thailand-bound flight without any travel documents at the Dhaka airport, which stirred up controversy.
The plane's captain refused to depart on schedule, citing Mr Rahman's presence on board as a security threat.
Mr Rahman entered the airport wearing his uniform asking the on-duty officials to let him in for an investigation purpose. He was later found onboard the flight when the plane was preparing to take off.
The incident turned out to be a major embarrassment for airport officials. They said it was a serious security breach for an international airport.
In any international airport of Bangladesh, it is mandatory to fill out a form for the pilot and cabin crews. Then they have to fill out a general declaration form in which they should put their passport number, date of birth, travel destination and other necessary information. The pilots and crew members must carry their passport with them as they have to show those to the immigration desk of the destination country.
Besides, the pilots and crew members have to cross four steps like any passenger. But they must to show their passport at the immigration.
In Mr Mahmud's case, it seems that his passport was not checked at any point.
Asked, former managing director and chief executive officer of Biman MA Momen told the FE both the Bangladesh immigration department and pilot are equally responsible for the incident.
"The immigration police must check the passport of any person whoever he may be before boarding. This incident is very unfortunate. Pilots must be more careful," he said.
Aviation analyst Kazi Wahidul Alam blamed the airlines officials for violating the discipline, saying the main responsibility was of the pilot himself.
"It was a gross violation of discipline as he was the senior pilot and responsible for a VVIP flight. Next responsibility is the immigration police who completely neglected their duty," he added.
There is a separate immigration counter for the pilots and cabin crew members and a procedure to operate a flight.
"How did he cross the immigration counter without a passport?" he asked.
Being a senior pilot and operating the VVIP flights for years, Mr Mahmud had to be more responsible, he noted.
Incidents like the attempt to hijack a Biman aircraft and passengers with arms at the Dhaka airport's security point send out wrong signal to the aviation world, noted Mr Alam, who edits the fortnightly Bangladesh Monitor.
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