Biman earns Tk 3.7m as extra baggage charge
Friday, 15 January 2010
Mashiur Rahaman
State-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines earned 0.2 million (2.0 lakh) Saudi riyals equivalent to Tk 3.7 million as extra baggage charge during the post-Hajj operation ended on January 01, 2010.
The generated revenue from this extra baggage charge this Hajj season was more than double against the amount earned from the earlier year's Hajj operation, a well-placed Biman official told the FE.
At the end of Hajj operation last season, the national flag carrier earned revenue worth 87,000 riyals equivalent to Tk 1,609,500 only.
Biman carried 32,184 pilgrims this season, operating 86 Hajj flights including 54 dedicated and 32 scheduled flights to Jeddah. A total of 58,638 Bangladeshi nationals performed the greatest rituals. Besides Biman, Saudi Arabian Airlines ferried 20,000 pilgrims in their dedicated Hajj flights.
Each year, extra baggage charge from homebound Bangladeshi pilgrims make complaints of massive mismanagement and allege corruption against deployed Hajj officials.
"Responding to a series of complaints from various platforms, Biman conducted an investigation against Hajj officials and unveiled presence of corrupt elements in the process," an official related to Biman's finance department told the FE.
"We discovered that officials were involved in charging passengers for extra baggage weights, without issuing money receipts," the official said requesting anonymity.
He said such irregularity was also exposed by flight operating pilots who complained of losing extra fuel for more overweight than mentioned in the flight manual on their way to Dhaka from Jeddah.
This season, a top Biman official was deployed at Jeddah Hajj station for looking after the post-Hajj operation, aiming to curb the extra baggage related irregularities. Within only 15 days of operation, Biman's team under his command managed to generate over 0.1 million Saudi riyals, more than the total earned revenue of the earlier year's month-long operation, the Biman official said.
However, he was later ordered to return to the base after only 15 days, the official added.
As per the rules set by Biman, each pilgrim passenger is allowed to carry 30 kilograms of baggage without any extra charge. Beyond the allowed 30kg, the official charge for each additional kilogram is 45 riyals.
State-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines earned 0.2 million (2.0 lakh) Saudi riyals equivalent to Tk 3.7 million as extra baggage charge during the post-Hajj operation ended on January 01, 2010.
The generated revenue from this extra baggage charge this Hajj season was more than double against the amount earned from the earlier year's Hajj operation, a well-placed Biman official told the FE.
At the end of Hajj operation last season, the national flag carrier earned revenue worth 87,000 riyals equivalent to Tk 1,609,500 only.
Biman carried 32,184 pilgrims this season, operating 86 Hajj flights including 54 dedicated and 32 scheduled flights to Jeddah. A total of 58,638 Bangladeshi nationals performed the greatest rituals. Besides Biman, Saudi Arabian Airlines ferried 20,000 pilgrims in their dedicated Hajj flights.
Each year, extra baggage charge from homebound Bangladeshi pilgrims make complaints of massive mismanagement and allege corruption against deployed Hajj officials.
"Responding to a series of complaints from various platforms, Biman conducted an investigation against Hajj officials and unveiled presence of corrupt elements in the process," an official related to Biman's finance department told the FE.
"We discovered that officials were involved in charging passengers for extra baggage weights, without issuing money receipts," the official said requesting anonymity.
He said such irregularity was also exposed by flight operating pilots who complained of losing extra fuel for more overweight than mentioned in the flight manual on their way to Dhaka from Jeddah.
This season, a top Biman official was deployed at Jeddah Hajj station for looking after the post-Hajj operation, aiming to curb the extra baggage related irregularities. Within only 15 days of operation, Biman's team under his command managed to generate over 0.1 million Saudi riyals, more than the total earned revenue of the earlier year's month-long operation, the Biman official said.
However, he was later ordered to return to the base after only 15 days, the official added.
As per the rules set by Biman, each pilgrim passenger is allowed to carry 30 kilograms of baggage without any extra charge. Beyond the allowed 30kg, the official charge for each additional kilogram is 45 riyals.