Biman Bangladesh Airlines has turned to Boeing for support, asking the US aircraft maker to send engineers for a month to help examine the safety of its fleet after several technical problems were reported in recent weeks.
“We requested Boeing to send at least two engineers to work with our team for one month,” Biman Managing Director and CEO Dr Shafiqur Rahman said on Friday.
He said we had already spoken with Boeing’s South Asia office in New Delhi and expressed concerns over the repeated issues. “Our engineers are doing their best, but Boeing’s direct involvement will give them a strong backup,” Rahman added.
The airline has already introduced a mix of immediate and long-term steps to strengthen safety and accountability. A four-member committee has been set up to look into the technical incidents that occurred between July 1 and August 13.
The team will check maintenance logs and operational practices, identify causes, and determine responsibility in cases of negligence. It must submit a report with recommendations within 10 working days.
Passenger safety has been declared the airline’s top priority. The toilet flush malfunction on a Dhaka–Abu Dhabi flight is among the cases under review.
To ensure accountability, two officials have been reassigned, one engineering officer has faced disciplinary action, and another has been served with a show-cause notice in Chattogram.
To prevent further disruptions, Biman has pre-positioned spare aircraft wheels at major overseas hubs including Jeddah, Dubai, Madinah, Dammam, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Procurement of additional wheels is also under way.
An inquiry has been ordered into the tire burst in Jeddah under the director of Flight Operations, while maintenance oversight has been tightened under the director of Engineering and Chief Engineers.
Since August 18, a night-shift maintenance unit has been introduced for continuous monitoring. The carrier is also reviewing its inventory system, holding talks with Boeing to update its Component Services Program (CSP), and reassessing spare parts packages to better match actual usage.
Alongside, refresher training for engineers has begun and new apprentice mechanics are being recruited as part of long-term efforts to build technical capacity, officials confirmed.
