Lack of refueling, firefight facilities forces Biman to stop Sylhet-London flights
Monday, 3 May 2010
Mashiur Rahaman
Inadequate refueling and firefighting facilities in Sylhet Osmani International Airport is blocking the state-run Biman to commence Sylhet-London direct flights.
"Sylhet airport has no refueling station. Our aircraft can only fly on London-Sylhet-Dhaka route with optimum fuel but not in the opposite direction," Biman official explained.
On the other hand, fire-safety standard in Sylhet airport is just a level below the standard requirement for wide-body Boeing 777-200ER aircraft that Biman operates on Dhaka-London route, he elaborated.
Nearly 90 per cent of Biman's passengers from and to the British capital hails from Sylhet and they have been appealing for direct air-connectivity on the route for long.
Despite air-operation agreement signed between CAAB and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of UK in November 2009, Sylhet-London direct flights remains uncertain, aviation industry experts explained.
The experts, however, blamed the regulatory authority 'Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB)' for their foot-dragging.
"If Biman starts the direct London-Sylhet operation, no Bangladeshi origin person living in UK would even think of any other option but to fly home with Biman," Biman's chairman Air Marshal (retd) Jamal Uddin Ahmed told the FE.
Inadequate refueling and firefighting facilities in Sylhet Osmani International Airport is blocking the state-run Biman to commence Sylhet-London direct flights.
"Sylhet airport has no refueling station. Our aircraft can only fly on London-Sylhet-Dhaka route with optimum fuel but not in the opposite direction," Biman official explained.
On the other hand, fire-safety standard in Sylhet airport is just a level below the standard requirement for wide-body Boeing 777-200ER aircraft that Biman operates on Dhaka-London route, he elaborated.
Nearly 90 per cent of Biman's passengers from and to the British capital hails from Sylhet and they have been appealing for direct air-connectivity on the route for long.
Despite air-operation agreement signed between CAAB and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of UK in November 2009, Sylhet-London direct flights remains uncertain, aviation industry experts explained.
The experts, however, blamed the regulatory authority 'Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB)' for their foot-dragging.
"If Biman starts the direct London-Sylhet operation, no Bangladeshi origin person living in UK would even think of any other option but to fly home with Biman," Biman's chairman Air Marshal (retd) Jamal Uddin Ahmed told the FE.