Biman plans to recruit pilots to make a turnaround

Dogged by pilot shortage, Biman Bangladesh Airlines is planning to appoint fresh pilots for the smooth operation of its flights. ‘At a recent meeting, we’ve discussed the issue and asked Biman to appoint fresh pilots for its fleet,’ Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said. The minister also said he has instructed the Biman authorities to give priority to picking pilots from local people as there is a scope for utilising some 10 cadet pilots now sitting idle. Biman last recruited pilots four years ago in 2010. The matter has come in the limelight as the national flag carrier now plans to recruit 12 more foreign pilots to operate hajj flights. A Biman official said a plan, authenticated by KPMG, a global network of professional firms, and the Institute of Business Administration of Dhaka University, advised Biman to recruit six pilots after every six months or at least 10 pilots a year to cope with the shortage of pilots. Currently, Biman has four Boeing 777-300ERs, two 777-200ERs, two 737-800s, and two A310-300s aircraft in its fleet. Every Boeing 777 requires seven sets of pilots. Each set is composed of a captain and a copilot or first officer. That means to operate the all the six 777s in the Biman fleet it needs 42 captains and 42 copilots or first officers, according to UNB.